Will you still love me tomorrow?
by ReidsGirl
Summary: Spencer Reid hadn't expected to find more than a good cup of coffee when he walked into the new cafe in town less than a year ago. Little did he know it was the first step towards love. Annie Barker had already lost faith in ever finding that special someone to share her life with. But when tragedy strikes, will their love survive? Sequel to "You're the apple to my pie". Reid/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! **

**Due to popular demand in all your awesome reviews on my first story _"You're the apple to my pie"_, I decided to start writing and publish my sequel earlier than planned. So here it is! I'm really excited and hope you enjoy it! **

**Also: Thank you to my lovely friend _sunset's last lullaby_ for agreeing to beta this story for me! **

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's!**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

As she stepped outside the doors of the little bakery, Annie Barker tightened her scarf as the cold December air hit her face and quickly pulled out her leather gloves. She blinked up at the bright sun that did nothing to warm up the cold temperature of the past days. Once again she was glad she had decided to wear legwarmers over her wool tights. Strolling down the street she decided to take a detour through the park as she took another sip of her hot coffee, the bag holding half a dozen cupcakes in her other hand. Entering the park she took in the scenery in front of her. It had snowed last night and the trees looked like they had been glazed with sugar.

Her smile widened as she heard the familiar Star Trek ringtone from her bag and she quickly transferred the coffee to her other hand as she roamed it for her phone.

"Hi my love." she answered it, a slight giggle escaping her throat.

"Well, someone's in a good mood." Spencer said on the other end and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Why shouldn't I be? It's a beautiful day and the city is covered in snow. And most important of all, I'll see you in just a few hours." she replied happily.

"So I guess it's a good thing I packed warm clothes." he laughed back. "New York tends too have icy winds during December and January."

"Exactly. You're in for quite the temperature shock when you get here." she smiled as she passed a group of children in the process of building a snowman.

It was three days after Christmas, and she had spent the past five days at her brother's place. He and his wife Lilly, had welcomed a little baby boy shortly after Thanksgiving and so her parents had agreed it would be much more convenient to spend the holidays at Scott's place in the city while Spencer visited his mother in Las Vegas. Annie and him had spent Thanksgiving with her so she had insisted that they would ring in the New Year with Annie's family.

"So your flight arrives at 5 right?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm already at the airport. I can't wait to see you again, sunshine."

"And I can't wait to see you again." she smiled at his use of the by now familiar nickname. "I know I should probably be used to it by now but I hate being apart from you. Well, at least this time I didn't have to worry about you." she added.

So far Spencer had always been safe when away on a case but she would probably never get used to the potential danger he was putting himself into. But she knew that the happiness she felt when with him would always make up for the worry.

"So, they're just calling for boarding. I'll see you in 5 hours." his voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Alright. Can't wait! Love you!"

"I love you too."

Grinning from ear to ear, Annie fastened her pace as she walked towards the lower exit of Central Park. When she reached 5th Avenue, she quickly hailed a cab to take her back to her brother's apartment where she knew her mother was already busy preparing everything for tonight's family dinner.

* * *

As he sat on the plane Spencer Reid kept glancing at his watch. He found it hard to concentrate on his book as his thoughts kept wandering off to his girlfriend. Of course he had enjoyed spending time with his mother over Christmas but he had missed Annie dearly. She had gotten Garcia to install a video calling program on his phone a couple of weeks back and despite his usual indifference to technology, he had to admit he enjoyed seing her smile pop up on his screen. But all the video calls in the world could never compare to the feeling of being with her, breathing in the flowery scent of her hair and feeling her warm body press against him.

Just thinking about holding her in his arms again put a smile on his face. The time since he met her had been the best of his life and he couldn't imagine life without Annie Barker. Whenever he wasn't away on a case, they spent every free minute together. He gave a light chuckle as he thought how she had slowly invaded his apartment over the past months. It had started with her tootbrush and a few items in his bathroom and a few clothes in his closet. Now he sometimes wondered if there was anything left in her own apartment. He would never have thought he would be so comfortable with someone making himself at home in his place but now his apartment actually felt empty on the rare nights she didn't spend with him.

He was also looking forward to seeing Annie's parents again. They had visited them in D.C. again last November and he had thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them. He was a little nervous about meeting Annie's brother for the first time. He had observed how protective Morgan was of his sisters and knew Annie shared a tight bond with Scott. He realized how important he was to her and hoped they would get along.

Feeling the plane slightly shift he looked at his watch again and confirmed that they were alreay starting their descent. He quickly retrieved his messenger bag from under the seat in front of him and stuffed his book into it. Closing his eyes, he leaned back and gave another smile, knowing he would soon be reunited with the woman he loved.

* * *

Walking into JFK airport a couple of hours later, Annie couldn't stop hopping from one foot to the other. Her eyes kept glancing up at the arrivals board as she stood on her tiptoes.

"This guy really must be something." her brother Scott laughed. "The last time i saw you this excited was when mom took you to that stupid boyband concert when you were 14." he teased, winking at her.

Gently punching his arm she looked up at him and grinned back. "Says the guy who had his room plastered with pictures of Baywatch babes..."

"Just your regular 90s teenage boy." Scott laughed, raising his hands in defense. "But seriously An, you seem genuinely happy." he added, using her nickname from when they were children.

Annie squeezed her brothers arm excitedly and smiled. "Oh I am Scott. He's the best thing that ever happened to me."

"I'm glad you found someone sis. You're not getting any younger." he replied, receiving another punch from her.

"You're one to talk grandpa." she teased back. "We didn't go out once since I arrived. Never thought I would say this but you've officially become boring."

"Hey, I'm a father now, I can't be out painting the town red all night anymore." he laughed.

"Yeah, you're right. Just teasing you. And i have to admit, you're a great dad." she nodded. "Little Jacob is the most beautiful baby I've ever seen. Of course he got his looks from Lilly." she added with a wink.

"Believe it or not, I actually agree. So it seems your Spencer has made quite the impression on dad and mom. Can't believe you finally found a boyfriend they approve of." he chuckled. "But don't think that'll get him out of the big brother talk."

"Oh yeah, like anyone would be intimidated by you." she rolled her eyes at him. "Don't forget he's an FBI agent."

Looking at the arrival's gate again she gave an impatient sigh. "Where is he? They landed 15 minutes ago!"

"You were never good at waiting An. I'm sure he'll be out any..." Scott started but was interrupted by a loud screech escaping Annie's mouth.

His eyes followed her as she ran towards the tall man he recognized from the picture, dressed in grey slacks, a striped button-down shirt and a cardigan, a coat slung over his arm. Seeing his sister's open coat flare as she ran, he chuckled and slightly shook his head as he slowly followed her.

* * *

Spencer's eyes were searching the crowd when he was startled by a loud squeal. Turning his head, a smile spread across his face when he saw Annie running towards him. She looked absolutely adorable in a short, purple wool dress, her open black coat flying, with a red scarf slung around her neck and a matching knit hat, strands of her light-brown hair framing her face.

Fastening his own pace he reached her and couldn't suppress a chuckle as she almost knocked him over, wrapping her arms around his neck. His hands resting on her back, he held her close for a moment before she pulled away and beamed up at him. Pressing a kiss on her lips he returned her smile.

"You're here." she grinned, immediately leaning in for another kiss. And another, and another.

Cupping her face with his hands, he smiled. He knew he would never grow tired of seing her eyes light up with excitement. Pulling her close one more time he replied. "I guess I am. I've missed you." he whispered in her ear, breathing in her scent.

"And I've missed you." she smiled, pushing a stray strand of hair out of his face.

"This is going to be the best New Year's ever!" she laughed happily.

Annie was still lost in Spencer's eyes when she heard a noise behind her. Turning around she saw her brother clearing his throat.

"Um, sorry to interrupt sis, but..." he grinned.

Annie gave a light chuckle as she grabbed Spencer's hand and squeezed it.

"Oh sorry, for a moment I forgot you were here." she teased. "Spence, I want you to meet my brother Scott."

Spencer gave a smile as he shook the other man's hand. He could definitely see the resemblance, even though Scott was a lot taller than Annie. "Nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise. The little one here hasn't stopped talking about you since she arrived." Scott replied, winking at Annie.

Annie gave her brother another gentle punch. "Not true. Well, yeah, maybe." she laughed, beaming up at Spencer.

"So, we should probably get going before mom starts calling to tell us dinner is getting cold." Scott announced. "I hope you're hungry Spencer, I swear to god, this woman has prepared enough food to feed an entire army..."

Spencer chuckled and felt himself relax. Of course he had expected Annie's brother to be just as nice as the rest of her family but he was still relieved at Scott's welcoming nature.

"In fact I'm starving." he replied with a smile.

With Scott leading the way, they followed him, his hand still firmly grasping Annie's as she pressed herself against the side of his body. Smiling down at her placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

"I think you might be right, sunshine. This is going to be the best New Year's ever."

* * *

**As always, don't forget to review, you know it's the thing that keeps us writers going!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello my lovely readers! **

**First of all, thank you so much for all the reviews, follows and favourites! You're awesome as always! And because you've been so nice, here's another chapter for you!**

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's!**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Looking around the kitchen, Annie snuggled up a bit closer to Spence, who had his arms wrapped around her as they stood by the kitchen counter, both sipping a cup of tea. They had arrived half an hour earlier to a round of excited Hello's by her parents and sister in law. Her mother was still preparing dinner while Lilly and Scott sat opposite them, both nibbling on some of the cookies Annie and her mom had prepared in the days leading up to Christmas.

Spencer took the opportunity to take a closer look at Scott and his wife. He was tall, like his father with similar features. And while he was sure he dressed in formal suits for his job at the big law firm, today he was more laid-back in dark jeans and a simple black sweater. His wife seemed to be a natural redhead and was dressed in black slacks, a white blouse and a blue cardigan. Spencer pressed a kiss on Annie's head, thinking how comfortable he felt around her family.

"Caroline, you should really let us help. I feel bad sitting around doing nothing in my own kitchen." Lilly was just saying, rolling her eyes at Annie.

"No, you girls just sit down and relax. I so rarely get to spoil you all." Annie's mother replied with a smile. "And you have enough on your hands with the new baby and all."

"You know she won't let us help her once she set her mind on doing all the work herself." Annie chuckled. "By the way, where is the little man?"

"He's sleeping. But don't worry, he'll be up again in no time." Lilly smiled, knowing how much her sister in law loved her nephew.

"Good, he's so adorable, you'll love him." Annie said as she glanced up at Spencer.

Scott couldn't help but burst out laughing. "There she goes again. Be careful or you're next Spencer. Once a woman's head goes into baby mode you're screwed."

"Don't worry bro, I'm quite happy with the way things are right now." Annie replied with a laugh when she saw Spencer's expression and placed a gentle kiss on her boyfriend's cheek.

"So,how did you get to work for the FBI?" her brother addressed Spencer.

"Well after graduating from Caltech I was approached by our former unit chief and he suggested I join the Academy." he replied and soon the two men were engrossed in a conversation about law enforcement.

* * *

"I really like him." Lilly whispered at Annie, who now sat next to her, and she looked up to smile at her boyfriend.

"Seems like Scott does too. Thank god, he hated all my previous boyfriends..."

Lilly gave a little laugh. "Yeah, that's a big brother for you. So what do you have planned for the next days?"

"I thought I'd show Spence around a bit, just enjoy the city." Annie smiled. "He's on leave till January 2nd, another BAU team is on duty right now. It hardly ever happens that we don't have to expect a call from the FBI any minute, sending him all over the country."

Her sister in law nodded. "It must be hard for you both. I mean, Scott works crazy hours too but at least I know he'll be home every night even if it's late."

"It is, but he loves his job and he's so good at it." Annie smiled with a glance at Spencer.

They were interrupted by a cry sounding from the baby monitor placed on the kitchen counter.

"Told you he'd wake up sooner or later." Lilly laughed, already motioning to get up.

Annie quickly jumped up. "I'll come with you." she smiled and walked over to Spence, pressing a kiss on his cheek. "I'll be right back."

* * *

"So Spencer, do you enjoy a good glass of Scotch?" Scott asked as he watched then two woman leave the room. "What do you say we pour one in the living room and let those two deal with dinner?" He added with a nod towards his parents.

"Go easy on him Scott!" his father laughed from the other end of the kitchen.

"Sure, why not." Spencer nodded and smiled to himself as he followed him to the mother room. He had already started wondering when he would get the inevitable big brother talk. A couple of months ago this would have caused him to break out a sweat, but his impression of Scott was that he was a nice guy and was only looking out for his little sister.

As Spencer sat down on the comfortable couch, Scott poured them both a glass.

"So, I guess before I start my interrogation I should thank you for saving my sisters life." he chuckled as he sat down, the look in his eyes betraying his cheerful manner. "I still can't believe that jerk did what he did." he added, his expression turning grim.

Spencer shifted in his seat, the images of that horrible day flashing back to memory. Slightly shaking his head he replied. "There's no need to thank me. I did what any man would have done for the women he loves."

Scott nodded his head in agreement. "So you really do love that little brat." he laughed, lightening the mood again.

Spencer burst out laughing at his words. Taking another sip of his scotch, he nodded, his expression more serious. "I really do." he assured Scott, bracing himself for further questioning. But Annies brother surprised him:

"Well, that's all I need to know. I think getting to know you over the next couple of days should suffice." he smiled. "And I can tell you, I've never seen my little sister so happy."

* * *

20 minutes later Annie entered the room and Spencer looked up. She was holding little Jacob close, his chin resting on her shoulder. Steadying the baby's head with her hand she sat down next to him and held the little guy in her arms, his eyes looking up at her.

"Done with your big brother talk Scott?" she winked at her brother.

"I wasn't that bad, was I Spencer?" he laughed.

"No, he wasn't." Spencer agreed with a chuckle as he watched Annie turn her attention back to the little man in her arms.

"You're officially the cutest baby in New York." she cooed over him and Spencer couldn't help but smile at the image.

He knew she was great with kids, his godson Henry loved her and had even started to call her auntie on occasion. Seeing Annie with the baby in her arms he felt his stomach do a little flip. He realized that this is what he wanted. Annie was right, things were perfect the way they were right now but he knew that one day, he wanted to start a family with her. His thoughts were interrupted when she looked up at him.

"Jacob, I want you to meet someone. This is Spence, I already told you about him, remember." she smiled, holding Jacob up. "He's the one you'll want to help you with school projects when you're older." she added with a chuckle.

"I'll make sure to get him into Caltech." Spencer replied, smiling back.

"Do you want to hold him?" she asked. "If it's alright with you?" she added with a glance at her brother.

"Why wouldn't it be." Scott replied, a questioning look on his face.

"Oh don't act as if you're not the most overprotective father in then world! You almost had a mental breakdown when I held him for then first time!" Annie laughed as she handed Jacob over to Spencer.

"That's because you're the biggest klutz in the universe." her brother teased.

"I am not!" she protested with a laugh. "But there's no need to worry, Spencer's godson Henry just turned 4, he's got plenty of experience with kids." she added.

"Well, I have to admit, JJ was a bit concerned when I babysat by myself the first time." Spencer chuckled as he smiled down on baby Jacob who looked at him with his eyes wide.

The little boy had his father's eyes and his mother's haircolor. Spencer couldn't help but wonder what Annie and his child would look like if they ever decided to become parents..

At that moment, Caroline entered the room and interrupted his thoughts. "Dinner's ready! Sit down everyone!" she announced happily.

* * *

Two hours later they had finished their meal. Scott had been right, his mother had prepared insane amounts of food and they would have leftovers for days. Caroline and Robert had left a couple of minutes ago, going back to the hotel they stayed at while Spencer would stay in the guest room with Annie that she had occupied for the past days. Annie had insisted to at least clean up the kitchen. Drying her hands on a towel she poured herself another glass of wine and joined the others in the living room.

Snuggling up beside Spencer on the couch she tucked her feet under her legs and took a sip of wine.

"So, what are your plans for tomorrow?" Scott asked. "Unfortunately I have to be back at the office or I'd have shown you around."

"Well, I think first of all we're going to sleep in." Annie smiled. "And then maybe I could take you to that cute little place for breakfast?" she asked, glancing up at Spencer.

"Sounds fine to me." he replied, tightening the grasp of his arm around her waist. "Whatever you want to do." he added, his cheek brushing against her hair.

"You two are just too cute." Lilly smiled at them. Sitting up, she looked at the couple in front of her. "Don't be mad guys, but I think I'll head to bed. The little man will demand his midnight feed in a few hours."

"Sure, you go to bed honey, I'll join you in a minute." her husband smiled at her, giving her a small kiss, his gaze lingering on her as she walked away.

"So, Annie, you know where everything is if Spencer wants to take a shower. I'll see you guys tomorrow." he smiled, standing up. "Good night!" he added as he left the room.

They both called out their good nights and Annie turned around to face Spencer. Cupping his cheek placed a small kiss on his lips. "Alone at last." she grinned. "Wanna head to bed too?" she asked with a little wink.

Spencer opened his mouth to answer but was stopped by her mouth crashing onto his in a passionate kiss, her fingers tangling in her hair. His heart fluttered as his hands gently stroked her waist. He couldn't suppress a smile creeping up his lips as his heart burst with happiness.

Annie pulled away from him, raising her eyebrow. "What's so funny Doctor." she winked.

"Nothing, I'm just happy." he grinned, brushing his thumb across her cheek. "And by the way, you calling me Doctor is a real turn-on."

"Why do you think I like to call you that." she laughed.

And with that she jumped up and pulled him off the couch, dragging him down the small corridor towards their room. Before he knew it they were inside and she kissed him again, her fingers fumbling with the buttons on his shirt. His hands instinctively travelled down to her backside, pulling her hips closer. As his mouth placed small kisses down her jaw to her neck, a small moan escaped her lips, causing him to pull away.

"Shh or your brother will hear us." he whispered, slightly blushing.

"They're all the way down the hall Spence." she whispered back, pushing him towards the bed. "Besides, they're hardly getting any sleep these days with the baby. They'll be knocked out by now." she giggled.

Spencer gave her a wide grin and swooped her up into his arms. Laying her on the bed, he nibbled her ear. "Well, in that case..." he whispered, his fingers trailing down her neck, the giggle escaping her mouth like music to his ears...

* * *

**Review, review, review! The more you do, the faster I'll post! *wink***


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! **

**Thank you all SO MUCH for all your reviews! I'm so glad you're enjoying this story! So here's another chapter for you!**

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's!**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

When Spencer opened his eyes the next morning it took him a moment to realize where he was. But then he felt Annie's warm body pressed against his back, her arm resting on his hips, He carefully turned around, taking her hand in his and propped himself up on his arm. She slightly shifted in her sleep and he held his breath for a moment. His mouth curled into a smile as she snuggled her head into her pillow, a small sigh escaping her slightly parted lips. She hadn't trimmed her bangs in some time and he gently pushed them out of her eyes, his thumb briefly resting on her cheek.

He loved waking up next to her and even though her face was forever ingrained in his eidetic memory, he would never grow tired of looking at her mouth that still gave him butterflies whenever she smiled at him. Those heart-shaped lips he could spend hours kissing. That cute button nose that crinkled when she laughed. Releasing her hand he gently wrapped his arm around her and lay his head back down on the soft pillow. Another sigh escaped her throat as she instictively moved closer to him, burying her head in his bare chest.

"What time is it?" she slurred, still half asleep.

His mouth curled into a smile as he glanced over at the alarm clock on her nightstand.

"Almost 10.30." he replied, planting a kiss on her head and pulling her closer.

"Already?" she asked as she raised her head, blinking up at him.

"Good morning sleepyhead." Spencer chuckled at the look of her sleepy eyes.

A wide grin spread across her face. "Morning." she whispered, giving him a small kiss. "And sleepyhead? You have yourself to thank for that." she chuckled. "You sure got over your fear of anyone hearing us pretty fast last night."

"Well, with you I just can't help myself." he laughed, nuzzling her neck.

"How long have you been awake?"

"Just a couple of minutes."

Annie slowly raised herself up, stretching her arms above her head as she yawned.

"I love your hair in the morning." she grinned as she looked at the messy curls on his head. Catching sight of his gaze trailing over her body, she quickly pulled up the bedspread. "And don't get any ideas!" she laughed. "New York City is waiting outside."

Pressing another kiss on his lips, she jumped up, suddenly wide awake. As she walked over to the en-suite bathroom she turned around and saw him purse his lips.

"Alright." she chuckled. "You can join me. But for nothing else than showering!" she added with a wink.

* * *

A couple of hours later they were bundled up in their warmest clothes and out on the streets of New York City. Lilly had declined their invitation of joining them for breakfast at the quaint little cafe a couple of blocks from the apartment, knowing the young couple would be glad to spend some time alone. Two cups of coffee and a shared plate of pancakes later, they were back outside again, strolling up 42nd Street, their gloved hands entwined. Annie had insisted on taking pictures at Times Square and they had decided to head to Central Park, where they could really enjoy the snow that had fallen again overnight.

As they reached the entrance to the green lung of the city that was now covered in white flakes, Spencer smiled down at Annie as he squeezed her hand.

"You know, the park initially opened in 1857 and today has a total size of 840 acres, with 2.5 miles in length and 0.5 miles in width. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962, making it one of approximately 2,500 throughout the United States. It is now the most visited urban park in the country, with a about 35 million visitors annually. It's also home of one of the three Cleopatra's needles, red granite obelisks, re-erect here, in London and Paris in the 19th Century. Although they are genuine Ancient Egyptian obelisks, they are misnomers, as they have no particular connection with Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt, and were already over a thousand years old in her lifetime."

Annie smiled up at him and linked arms with him, her other hand resting on his upper arm. She loved listening to him talk, there was almost no topic he didn't have knowledge on.

"Oh, I've seen the one in London a couple of years ago! Can we go see the one here? And we could do the third one when you're off work the next time." she enthused.

"So you want to go to Paris with me?" he asked.

"Why not?" she grinned "But first, there's something else we need to do." she added, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"And what would that be?" he laughed.

And before he knew it, she let go of his arm and grabbed a handful of snow from a nearby bench. He gasped in mock-horror as the snoball hit his upper body.

"Oh, you didn't really just do that!"

Annie let out a giggle as she threw another snoball, barely missing his face. "You bet I did. So you're not gonna defend yourself Dr. FBI?"

"Ok, you asked for it." he called out, already running towards her, her infectious laugh spurring him on.

* * *

An hour later they had abandoned their plans to visit Cleopatra's Needle. Their little snowball fight had them both freezing and so they decided to warm up at with a cup of hot chocolate at a nearby cafe.

"So, do we have any plans for New Years?" Spencer asked as he took a bite of his lemon cake.

Looking up at Annie he chuckled when he saw a smudge of cup cake icing in the corner of her mouth. Giving her a grin he leaned in, gently kissing it away.

"You had a bit of icing there."

"Thanks." she grinned back. "So, New Years. Well, we could either go out for dinner, just the two of us and then maybe drinks. Or we could stay home with my parents and Scott and Lilly. I know my mom is gonna cook." she replied.

"Why don't we do both?" Spencer asked. "First go out for dinner and then join them later?"

"Sounds perfect!" she nodded happily. "So I guess I'll ask Scott for restaurant recommendations. Oh, and my friend Emma from college asked if we wanted to meet up for drinks tonight? She moved here a couple of months ago to live with her boyfriend and we haven't seen each other in ages. But I wanted to ask you first before I said yes."

"Sure, I bet she has some funny college stories about you." he teased.

"I was a saint in college!" she laughed when she was interrupted by her phone ringing."Oh that's probably her"

Spencer shook his head in amusement when she started roaming her purse in search of it. "Why can't I never find my phone in here?" she called out in frustration.

"Probably because you have half your apartment in there?" Spencer chuckled as she started piling items on the table. "Why would you need 3 lip balms?" he asked.

"Well, I can never find them in there when I need them so I keep buying new ones." she grinned. "Ha!" she exclaimed, finally retrieving her phone and answering it. "Hey sweetie!"

* * *

As he stepped out of the bathroom a few hours later, his hair still damp and a towel wrapped around his slender waist, Spencer drew in his breath when he caught sight of Annie in front of the mirror. She was wearing a high-waisted black skirt that accentuated her curves perfectly, completed by a bright red, loose fitting blouse tucked into the waistband, and black heels. Walking up behind her he rested his hands on her waist as he kissed her neck.

"You look sexy." he smiled, catching her eye in the mirror. "And fancy! So I guess I should suit up tonight?"

"You think so?" she asked, her face turning into a frown. "I figured if you can't dress up in New York, where else can you? But my mom has been stuffing us with food all week, I think I actually gained a few pounds." she sighed.

"No you haven't and even if you did there'd be nothing wrong with it. You'd still be perfect." he smiled as he turned her around. "Maybe this will convince you." he winked as he pulled her closer.

Annie felt a shiver run through her as his lips crashed onto hers, her hands resting on his bare chest. She let out a small moan as her fingers trailed down over his belly and reached the edge of the towel, gently tugging at it. When he pulled away again, she pursed her lips.

"Oh no sunshine, we need to leave soon, your friend is waiting." he shook his head, barely suppressing a smirk.

Annie let out a laugh and gently poked his chest. "Oh really? So I guess this is your revenge for this morning, ha?"

Walking over to the closet, he chuckled. "I guess it it..."

* * *

"Oh I can't believe it's been more than a year since we last saw each other." Emma exclaimed, embracing Annie in another hug.

"I know." she nodded and turned to Spencer. "Emma, Sarah and me used to be room mates in college and basically spent every free minute together." she smiled.

They had arrived half an hour earlier and had found Emma and her boyfriend Darryl at the bar. Annie was glad she had dressed up, the bar Emma had picked seemed to be quite the hot spot and while she and Spencer usually preferred a more casual atmosphere she enjoyed herself. She and her friend had already done some people watching, giggling over some of the overstyled characters in the establishment. Giving a small smile at Spencer, who was getting along well with Darryl, she took another sip of her cocktail.

"I have to admit, you're not what I expected when Annie told me she was dating an FBI agent." Emma chuckled. "No offense!" she quickly added.

"None taken." he laughed. "Most people are surprised when I tell them about my job."

"So what exactly does the Behavioral Analysis Unit do?" Darryl joined in.

"We are usually invited by local law enforcement when they are dealing with serial murders and rapists. We also cover Amber Alerts and other abduction cases." Spencer replied.

"So you get to see quite a lot of creepy stuff, right?" Emma asked excitedly.

"She's kind of obsessed with crime shows on TV." Annie explained with a chuckle. "But believe me, if she ever saw the things you see she'd probably faint."

Spencer was just about to speak when they were interrupted by a female voice.

"Spencer? Spencer Reid?"

Annie spun around at the same time as her boyfriend and her eyes caught sight of a young woman a couple of feet away. She was impeccably styled in a short, quite revealing blue dress and black stillettos, her glossy blonde hair softly flowing down her back. The woman seemed vaguely familiar to her and when she walked towards them, Annie's eyes grew wide and her head snapped up to look at Spencer.

And she almost spluttered out the drink she was sipping on when he opened his mouth to speak, his expression surprised.

"Lila?"

* * *

**Yes, a little cliffhanger for you, you know you love them! ;-) So keep those lovely reviews coming and I'll update again soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone! **

**You guys are truly amazing, thanks for all the awesome reviews! Here's the next chapter for you! I'm going away on a little trip for the weekend so there won't be another update for a couple of days! **

**Enjoy!**

**xoxo**

**Reids Girl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's! **

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Annie couldn't believe her ears when she heard Spencer's voice. And suddenly she remembered why the blonde seemed familiar. Walking towards them was no other than Hollywood actress Lila Archer. A million thoughts were running through her mind. How did Spencer know Lila Archer? And why was she giving her boyfriend that dazzling smile? She couldn't help her heart give a little tug when the other woman reached them and embraced Spencer, her Spencer into a warm hug. She felt her cheeks flush with heat as her hand involuntarily curled into a fist, her lips pressed together. And that she was _still_ hugging him when she felt Emma poke her side.

"Isn't she that famous actress?" her friend whispered in her ear.

Annie turned her head. "Yeah, Lila Archer." she whispered back, the tone of her voice not hiding her jealousy as she saw Lila press a kiss on Spencer's cheek.

"But how do they know each other?" her friend whispered back

"I have no..." Annie replied, breaking off whens he saw Spencer and Lila pull away from each other.

Annie looked up at her boyfriend, forcing her face to relax. She usually wasn't the jealous type but Spencer had never mentioned anything about knowing a famous movie star and how could she not feel intimidated when he had just hugged a woman who regularly graced the cover of magazines.

"I can't believe it, Spencer Reid. How long has it been? 3 years?"

Annie focused her attention back to the others as she heard Lila's voice. And that woman's hands were _still_ restingon Spencers shoulders...

Another bolt of jealousy rushed through Annie as she saw Spencer flush and fidget with his hands. Why did he seem so flustered?

"Um, yes, I guess." he replied, a slight stutter in his voice. "How have you been?"

Annie could barely suppress a snort. _I guess?_ Who was he kidding? She knew he always remembered anything that ever happened to the exact minute. And why hadn't he introduced them yet?

As if he had read her thoughts, Spencer suddenly turned around to face her. "Um, Lila, these are my friends."

Annie was sure her eyes would pop out of her head. Friends? Shooting him a slightly cross glance, she extended her hand and forced a smile.

"Hi, I'm Annie. Spencer's _girlfriend_."

She almost felt bad when she saw Spencer's startled look. "Um, yeah, this is Annie, my girlfriend. And these are Emma and Darryl."

Annie felt anger rise in her her when Lila gave her what her sister in law always called the "Manhattan once-over", her eyebrows raised as her eyes skimmed over her. Annie knew a disapproving look when she saw one.

She watched as Lila shook Emma's and Darryl's hands briefly, immediately turning back to Spencer, her hand resting on his shoulder.

"I thought you still lived in L.A.?" he asked, his face still flushed.

Annie gulped. Had he been in contact with her recently? Why else would he know where she lived?

"I do, but I was shooting a guest appearence in a TV show in the city and decided to stay on to spend time with some friends." Lila replied, her perfect white smile beaming up at him.

"We have a table over there." she said, pointing across the room. "Care to join us?"

Annie was just about to open her mouth and decline when Spencer answered. "Um, yeah, sure, why not?"

* * *

"Don't you think you should slow down with the drinks?" Emma whispered, placing her hand on Annie's as her friend was downing her fourth cocktail.

Annie shot her an annoyed look. "No I don't." she hissed, immediately feeling bad for letting her anger out on her friend.

She knew Emma was probably right. But she was just so angry. They had joined Lila's friends 20 minutes ago and the stunning blonde had managed to take complete possession of Spencer, eventhough Annie had to admit he looked a bit uncomfortable. And Lila kept touching him, briefly grazing her hands on his upper arm, leaning in too close for Annie's liking. And whenever she laughed at something he said she threw her head back, sending those golden waves flying. Spencer's cheeks still regularly blushed whenever she touched him.

Annie knew she should probably say something. But what exactly was she supposed to do? Act like the jealous girlfriend and embarrass herself? So far Spencer and Lila had made innocent small talk and there had been no hint as to where they knew each other from.

Mentioning for the waiter to bring her another cocktail, she turned around, determined to find out what exactly the story was.

"So, how did you two meet?" she asked, forcing herself to smile at Lila.

"Oh, we met at an art gallery when he was on a case in Los Angeles. Turned out the case was connected to me. There was this stalker, it actually turned out to be a girl from the production crew of the movie I was working on back then. She killed my manager and after that, Spencer was assigned to protect me, stay with me in my house. He eventually figured out who was responsible. So I guess you could say he saved my life." she replied, giving another dazzling smile to Spencer.

Annie nodded her head as her brain tried to figure out what exactly that meant. So he had stayed at her house. Had anything happened between them? Spencer had been so shy when she had met him and she couldn't really see him seducing a movie star. Especially considering this all happened while he was on the job, he would never have acted unprofessionally. But the way Lila was acting around him and the fact that he had blushed still made her uneasy. And he had saved her life. Just as he had saved hers...

"Well, it is his job to save lives." she addressed the other woman. "I guess that whole thing must have been hard for you. To not even be safe in your own house." she added, forcing herself to be sympathetic.

In fact, she knew exactly what it felt like to feel scared. But there was no way she would talk about what happened to her with someone she barely knew.

"Yeah, I was pretty scared." Lila replied. "But Spencer managed to cheer me up didn't you?" she added, looking at him again. "We did have fun in the pool." she chuckled.

Annie almost couldn't believe her ears._ Fun in the pool? _She was about to say something when Spencer's voice piped up, his face a deep shade of red.

"Anyone want more drinks?" he stammered, already getting up, apparently forgetting that this place had table service.

"I'd love another one of those." Lila smiled up at him, holding up her almost empty glass.

Seeing the look in Lila's eyes as she looked after Spencer, Annie's face turned into frown. She knew a woman on the prowl when she saw one. And she was not going to take this any longer...

* * *

Spencer was just about to order the drinks when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"I'm getting out of here. You wanna come too?" she asked and he was surprised by the tone of her voice.

"I thought we would get some more drinks, but yeah, sure." he replied. "Let me just say goodbye to the other'."

"Sure, whatever. I'll wait outside." she snapped.

She knew she was acting irrationally, but she couldn't help it. Giving one last wave to Emma and Darryl who had gone back to the other side of the bar, she practically stomped outside, quickly grabbing her coat on the way.

Spencer watched after her, his face stunned. What was wrong with her? She had never acted that way. Did it have something to do with Lila? He had to admit, he had felt quite uncomfortable when she had run into them. Maybe Annie felt the same way, he had never told her about Lila. But then, he had never thought he'd ever see her again.

After he said a quick goodbye to Emma and Darryl he briefly stopped by Lila's table.

"Seems we're leaving, sorry. Nice to see you again." he said, giving her an awkward wave.

"Already?" she pursed her lips. "I thought we could catch up a bit more. Here, let me give you my number, maybe give me a call some time?" she added, roaming her clutch and handing him her card.

Spencer quickly took it, barely listening anymore. After he had grabbed his coat he stepped outside. His eyes scanning the street he caught sight of Annie standing a few feet away, her arms crossed in front of her.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked as he walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her shivering body.

"Sure I am." she pouted, shrugging her shoulders and looking down on the floor.

"No you're not." he replied. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" she called out, her voice frustrated. "You really don't know? Isn't a profiler supposed to figure out stuff like that?"

Spencer was taken aback by the anger in his voice. "Is this about Lila?"

"Did you not see the looks she gave you? And the way she kept touching you? And when you introduced us you somehow failed to mention I was your girlfriend. She practically threw herself at you in there. And you never told me about her! So yes Spencer, this is about Lila." she replied, her voice rising, her eyes now looking at him expectantly.

Spencer was sill trying to process everything she had said when she suddenly turned around and started walking down the street. "Well, if you got nothing to say about this we should just go home..."

He took a few quick steps until he reached her and grabbed her shoulder, turning her around.

"Annie! Stop for a minute please." he said. Taking a deep breath he continued. "First of all, yes, maybe she was touching me, but I guess that's just the way she is. And I was so surprised to run into her, that's why I didn't introduce you as my girlfriend, I'm sorry. But I don't really see why you are so angry at me."

Annie felt her lip slightly quiver as she looked up at him.

"I'm angry because I seemed to become invisible the moment we sat down. How do you think that makes me feel. This beautiful woman, a movie star no less, walks in and suddenly it's like I'm not even there anymore! And don't tell me youd didn't see the snide looks she shot me. " she yelled in frustration.

"What are you talking about? You weren't invisible! I was just talking to her, it would have been impolite not to."

"I don't care Spencer! She made me feel uncomfortable and she was disrespectful to me. You should have noticed! And why did you never tell me about her? What's the story with her and you? And what's that about "having fun in the pool"?"

Spencer took a deep breath. He had no idea how they had gotten here. "Like she said, we met on a case. I stayed with her in her house one night. She wanted to go swimming and asked me to join her. I declined because it would have been inappropriate. She asked me to help her out and pulled me in. Well, and then we kissed. And thats all there was to it. And it happened three years ago so I really don't see what the problem is."

"The problem Spencer, is not that there were other women before me. The problem is that you never mentioned her and I find that odd. I told you about my ex-boyfriends, I never hid anything from you." she cried.

"Not that I could hide my crazy stalker slash kidnapper ex." she added with a snort. "I'd have thought the fact that you dated one of the most beautiful women on this planet would have been worth mentioning."

"But we didn't date! We just kissed!" he insisted, his own voice rising. He was slowly becoming frustrated. He didn't want to fight. Not with his Annie, not like this. Of course they'd had disagreed on some things before but they had never fought like this.

"Then why were you so flustered when she hugged you?" she asked, her eyes boring into him.

"I.. I was just surprised. You know how awkward I tend to get. I was just embarrassed."

"Yes, I know exactly how awkward you can get and I usually find it endearing and cute and I love you for it. But this time... it just reminded me too much of how you acted when we first met..." she murmured, her lip quivering.

Spencer felt his heart stop as he looked at her, a startled expression on his face. "Annie, you don't really think..." he started but was interrupted by her voice, the sadness in it scaring him.

"I don't know Spencer... I... I'm tired. I just want to go home." she shook her head, wiping a tear from her eye as she stepped onto the street to hail a cab.

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**Another cliffhanger! Sooo sorry (or maybe not lol)! Don't forget to review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi my lovelies! **

**Thank you all for the great reviews! So to brighten your Monday, here's another chapter! **

**Warning: Slightly M-rated content ahead! ;-)**

**Love you all!**

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's!**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Spencer turned over for the exactly 24th time this night. After hailing a cab they had spent the ride home in silence, Annie staring out of the window, the corners of her mouth curved downwards with tears glistening in her eyes. Several times he had opened his mouth to speak but he couldn't bring himself to talk to her. What if he said something wrong again? When they arrived at her brother's apartment, he had followed her to their room where she quickly undressed and slid under the covers. He didn't know whether she was asleep or not as she had her back turned to him. It was the first time they were in the same bed without her cuddling up to him. He could feel her body heat radiating even though there were at least 15 inches between them. He let out a sigh as he thought about what happened tonight. Yes, he had blushed when Lila had hugged him. But not because he had any feelings for her, how could he, but because he really had been embarrassed. He hadn't expected to ever see her again.

After their kiss and after he had gone back to D.C. he had thought about calling her but never had been able to build up the courage. Over the years he had sometimes wondered if he should have. But ever since Annie came into his life he hadn't given Lila another thought. And seeing her tonight he had realized that what he had felt for Lila at one time had been nothing compared to how Annie made him feel. She brought light into his life, she was the reason he woke up with a smile every morning. How could she ever think otherwise? Up until now their relationship had been smooth sailing, this was their first big fight and he honestly didn't know what to do. Was he supposed to make the first step and get her to talk?

Suddenly his phone buzzed on the night stand next to him. Looking at the caller ID he got up as gently as he could and grabbed his phone. As soon as he was out the door, he picked it up.

"Hi Morgan."

"Reid my man! Wouldn't have thought you would actually pick up." his best friend said cheerily. "How are you? You sound weird."

Spencer slightly shook his head, of course Morgan would instantly notice something was wrong. "Well, to be honest, I'm not that good right now..." he replied.

He could hear the frown in Derek's voice as he replied. "Why, what's up? Do I smell trouble in paradise?"

"Um, yeah, kind of. Annie and me had a fight..."

"A fight? About what?"

Spencer took a deep breath. "We... we ran into Lila."

"Lila? Lila as in Lila Archer?" Morgan exclaimed and Spencer could hear him suck in his breath. "Let me guess, Annie wasn't exactly thrilled?"

"No, she wasn't. We're not really talking right now.."

"That bad, ha?" Morgan chuckled. "What the hell did you do to earn the silent treatment?"

"I... I made the mistake of not introducing her as my girlfriend... And she accused me of ignoring her while talking to Lila. And I think I kind of did. And Lila was kind of touchy feely with me. Annie thinks I have feelings for her..."

"Wow kid, I don't like the sound of that. I don't like it at all. Did you tell her she got it all wrong? I mean, she is wrong, right?" Derek asked, his voice rising slightly.

"Of course she is Morgan. There's no one else for me and there never will be. You know how much I love her..." Spencer replied, frustratingly running his fingers through his hair.

"I know kid. So, did you tell her that?"

"Well, no... She didn't want to talk." he mumbled.

"Reid!" Morgan called out. Spencer could hear him take a deep breath. "Okay man, I know girls sometimes tend to overreact a little. I wasn't there so I don't know what really happened. But I can't blame her for overreacting, any woman would if a girl like Lila flirted with her man..."

"But I don't care about Lila!" Spencer almost yelled. Realizing he would wake the baby and everyone else he continued more quietly. "I don't even find her attractive anymore, she has nothing on Annie."

"You shouldn't be telling me, you should tell her!"

"I know, you're right, I just... this is new for me. No one has ever been jealous over me Morgan."

Morgan gave a light chuckle at his friend's words. "I know kid. But Annie is, because she's crazy in love with you. Where is she right now?"

"In our room."

"So you go in there and you tell her how you feel. Don't screw this up kid, okay?"

* * *

Annie hadn't been able to fall asleep. How could she with all those thoughts running through her head. She had felt Spencer toss and turn beside her but couldn't bring herself to talk to him. She knew she had overreacted. This was Spencer, this was them. She realized she shouldn't have accused him of still having feelings for Lila. She was just about to turn around and talk to him when his phone buzzed. Holding her breath, she felt him move and out of the corner of her eye saw him quickly leave the room.

Sitting up, she suddenly was full of doubts again. Who would call him at this time of the night? Was it Lila? She wouldn't put it past that woman to contact him. And he usually didn't leave the room when he was on the phone unless it was about a case. And since the team was on leave it wouldn't be Hotch or anyone else. What did he have to hide? She felt tears sting in her eyes again. What if she had pushed him away with all her yelling and right into the arms of another woman? Feeling a sob rise in her throat she threw her head back on the pillow, not holding back the tears anymore.

She didn't know how long she had been crying when she heard his voice from the kitchen, the sound muffled by the door.

"But I don't care about Lila!"

Annie bolted up. Okay, he was definitely not talking to Lila. Her heart actually hurt at the realization that she really had gotten it all wrong. She needed to get out there and apologize to him.

* * *

Spencer knew Morgan was right. Yes, Annie might have overreacted but maybe all she needed was him telling her that there was nothing to be worried about. Resting his elbows on the kitchen counter, he replied: "Alright. Thanks Morgan. I'll talk to you soon okay?"

"No problem kid, that's what friends are for."

Turning around, he was startled by Annie standing in the doorway of the kitchen. And when she looked up, right into his eyes, his heart gave a tug when he saw her puffy eyes and wet cheeks glistening in the moonlight shining through the window, her lower lip quivering. He couldn't stand the knowledge that he was the reason for her tears.

"Spence... can... can we talk?" she whispered, walking over to him and climbing up on the kitchen counter. "I... I just wanted..." she started, her voice trembling with regret.

"Annie... sunshine..." he choked, stepping up to her and tentatively reaching for her hand.

Seeing the look in his eyes confirmed again how wrong she had been. "Spence..." she stammered, new tears flowing from her eyes. "Oh Spence, I'm sorry, I was so wrong. I should never have said all those awful things!" she sobbed, fidgeting with her hands.

Spencer quickly took one more step, now positioned between her legs, and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her close to him.

"And I shouldn't have ignored you like I did." he whispered, gently rocking her back and forth. "Shh, please stop crying."

Pulling away from him, she snuffled and he tenderly wiped the tears from her eyes. "No, it's really me that should be sorry. I... it's just.. when she walked in there, looking perfect, and you... you acted so flustered... I was suddenly so afraid of losing you." she stammered, looking into her lap, still not able to stop the tears from falling.

Spencer felt his own eyes water, he couldn't stand seeing her like this. "Annie... there's no way you could ever lose me!" he replied, his voice serious.

Raising her chin with his hand, he continued. "Don't you know how much I love you? And the only one who is perfect is you! No woman in the world could ever make me feel the way you do. You turned my whole life around, I would never have dared to hope finding someone who makes me as happy as I am with you."

The look in his eyes almost broke her heart. How could she ever have doubted his feelings? "Spence, I'm so sorry. I don't know what got into me..." she whispered. "You know I love you, I love you so much. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. And I almost screwed everyting up."

Spencer wrapped his arms around her again, gently stroking her hair. "No you didn't."

She pulled away from him, running her thumb across his cheek. "I promise I'll never be so stupid again, alright?" she asked, her mouth curling into a crooked smile.

Spencer's heart skipped a beat when he slowly saw a little of that sparkle he loved so much return to her still puffy eyes. God, how he loved that woman. Feeling a sudden urge to show her how much exactly, he pulled her closer.

* * *

Annie let out a gasp of surprise as his mouth crashed onto hers, his tongue greedily parting her lips. Relief flooded through her and her hands reached up to grab the back of his head. His kisses became even fiercer as he pressed himself closer to her and her legs instictively wrapped around his waist. It was as if they were both trying to erase the memory of the past few hours from their minds, assuring each other of their love.

Her hands slid under his shirt and she let out a small moan as his hungry mouth travelled down her jaw, his fingers pushing down the straps of her tank top. A rush heat shot through her when his lips reached the edge of her breasts, covering her skin with frantic kisses. She felt his hand move down her side and slide under her tank top she pulled his head up again, the need to feel his mouth on hers overwhelming her.

Spencer felt his head spin as his palms found her breasts and when Annie moaned into his mouth at his touch and started nibbling on his lower lip he couldn't stop his hips from rocking against her crotch, eliciting a needy growl that shot right to his core. His other hand cupped her bottom and he pulled her even closer. And the feeling of her legs tightening the grip around his waist as she arched her back was enough to drive him crazy. Her hands were tousling his hair when she suddenly pulled away, her lips red and puffy.

"Don't you think we should take this to the bedroom?" she breathed out.

He gave a slight nod before kissing her again, the sensation of her legs wrapped around him sending more bolts of desire through him. Picking her up, his mouth never left hers as he carried her towards their room.

Kicking the door shut with his foot, he took the few steps towards the bed and gently laid her down. Almost ripping off her top, his lips continued where they had stopped before, her ragged breathing encouraging him.

Annie let out a gasp as his mouth closed over her nipple, his circling tongue sending shivers down her spine. His hands fumbled with her shorts and he quickly pulled them down. She quickly pushed up his shirt and couldn't help sighing in frustration at the brief loss of his mouth on her hot skin. Her fingers travelled down his chest and she fumbled with the waistband of his PJ's.

Feeling Annie free him of his pants, Spencer revelled at the sensation of her naked body pressed against his. As her hands roamed over him in need, he couldn't suppress a deep groan escaping his throat as his hands found her core. And when she began chanting his name over and over again he thought he might lose it then and there. It was as if he couldn't tell where he ended and she began, yet he still felt like she wasn't close enough. His tongue travelling back up her neck he knew he couldn't wait any longer.

Annie let out a moan and bucked her hips as they became one, heat radiating between their bodies. The sound of them panting filled the room and she saw a drop of sweat trickle down Spencer's face, his eyes half-closed. Throwing her head back she closed her eyes, only to snap them open again when he suddenly stopped and cupped her cheek with his hand.

Both lying still he looked deep into her eyes and she felt a shiver run through her, her heart beating fast.

"I love you." he whispered, their noses touching.

"I love you." was all she could get out before he claimed her lips again, their bodies moving in sync at a gentler pace...

* * *

**Hope this chapter makes up for all the drama in the last one. :D But I thought every relationship has its bumps lol. Don't forget to review and the next chapter will be up soon! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone! **

**Thank you for all your lovely reviews! Sorry I didn't update sooner but it's been a busy week. So here's another chapter for you! Enjoy!**

**xoxo **

**ReidsGirls**

**As always, i don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's! **

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Falling back on the sheets, Spencer breathed hard as Annie's warm body curled up to him. His head was actually spinning as his finger stroked her shoulder. When he finally caught his breath again, he pressed a kiss on top of her head. And when she smiled up at him he was sure she had never looked more beautiful. Her eyes were sparkling, all puffiness from crying gone, and strands of hair, slightly damp from her sweat, clung to her forehead and cheeks. As she rested her head on his chest, he didn't think he could be any happier than right here, right in this moment.

Annie let out a deep breath, her heart hammering in her chest as they lay in silence, their bodies recovering. She could feel Spencer's heart beating equally fast as she lay her head on his upper body. She smiled to herself as her thoughts drifted back to the beginnings of their relationship. Back then he had been so shy, and in some ways he still was. But had someone told her 8 months ago that not only their minds but also their bodies would connect in such a way, she would have had a hard time believing it.

She let out a sigh and gave a slight shiver as her body cooled down. And she smiled up at him when he quickly pulled up the bedspread, covering both of them as she snuggled up closer.

"If this is what happens when we fight maybe we should do it more often." he chuckled.

Annie pursed her lips and gave him a gentle punch in the ribs. "Don't say that!" she called out, barely suppressing a chuckle.

"I'm just joking." he grinned. " But let's agree to never fight again."

Annie sat up and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, her hand resting on his chest. "I think you'll find that the probability of this is quite unrealistic my dear Doctor, but we can certainly try."

"Alright, we will." he replied, pulling her down to him again and holding her close.

"And if we do fight I promise we'll always make up in the exact same fashion we just did." Annie chuckled.

"Now that is a promise I can live with."

Spencer revelled in the feeling of holding her close when he felt his eyelids drop. He was just about to drift off to sleep when she bolted up again, her eyes wide.

"Oh my god. I completely forgot to give you your Christmas present!" she exclaimed, wrapping the beadspread around her and rushing over to the antique dresser.

Spencer chuckled at her sudden outburst, he would never cease to be amazed by the energy she had.

"I got you two presents." she smiled as she sat down on the bed again. "Come on, open it." she gestured as she put down the square box wrapped in gold paper.

Spencer slowly unwrapped the red bow and opened the box, revealing a purple knit scarf.

"I made it myself, so it might have a few uneven bits in it. And it's your favourite color right?" she giggled as he took it out of the box.

"You made this?" he asked as he placed a kiss on her lips.

"I know, it's probably a bit silly, you don't have to wear it if you don't want to." she replied, suddenly unsure about her gift.

"It's not silly, sunshine. It's beautiful. I'll wear it every day." he smiled, kissing her again. "I just didn't know you knew how to knit."

"I have a few talents you don't know about yet." she winked. "But there's more." she urged, taking an envelope out of the box and handing it to him.

A wide grin spread across her face as he opened it and his eyes widened.

"You didn't..." he gasped, looking up at her.

"Oh yes I did! It's in Las Vegas, so it also gives us the opportunity to visit your mom again." she smiled.

"I can't believe you got us tickets for a Star Trek convention." He gave a light chuckle as she slightly shook his head. A year ago he wouldn't have thought he'd ever find that special someone to exchange Christmas gifts with. And now he had the most wonderful woman in his life who didn't only love him but also shared his love of Star Strek.

"Oh, and just so you know, we're going in costume!" Annie giggled.

"Alright, but only if you wear the lady's uniform from the Original Series." he winked, already picturing her in the short-skirted attire. "But now it's my turn." he smiled, getting up and retrieving a small, longish box, wrapped in silver paper, with a card attached to it.

"You have to read the card first." Spencer announced as he handed her the gift.

"Whatever you say." she smiled. Opening the card she read aloud:

_My love for you is just like pi,_  
_Irrational and never-ending._  
_You're the one who squares my i,_  
_Time for reality, no more pretending._

_Like the summation to infinity of one over n, _  
_Like the domain of x squared, our love has no end._

_A divide by zero, it's undefined;_  
_Equations to explain it you cannot find._

_As the limit approaches infinity,_  
_You're the ln of e for me._

_You're perfect like 9, 16, or 25,_  
_My constant like e to the x, derived._

_We're perpendicular in our affection, _  
_Every point leads to our intersection._

_This is no logistic growth, there's no upper bound; _  
_There's no one I'd rather have around._

Seeing her raised eybrow Spencer opened his mouth to explain. "I... I was reading "The History of Pi" by Petr Beckmann a couple of weeks ago on the flight back from a case. He draws pararells between the history of pi and the history of men and I started thinking about other parallels in connection with pi. And then you popped into my head, like you do so often. That's when I started thinking how the infinity of pi could represent love and..."

Annie beamed up at him and gently cupped his cheek.

"I get it Spence..." she whispered, clearly touched by what he had written. "That much I remember from school." she chuckled. "It's very sweet, thank you." she smiled and placed a kiss on his lips.

"So can I open it now?" she asked as she pulled away again, picking up the box.

Spencer smiled at her impatience and gave her an encouraging nod. He held his breath as she carefully untied the bow and removed the wrapping paper. Opening the black box inside, she let out a gasp.

"Oh my god..." she whispered as her jaw dropped.

"Spence..." she looked up at him. "This is beautiful." she added as she gently picked up slim white gold necklace. Attached to it was a small matching pi symbol.

Spencer felt relief wash over him as he saw the excited look on her face. "So you like it?"

"Spence... I love it. But you shouldn't have..." she replied, looking up at him.

No one had ever given her a gift that beautiful and with so much meaning behind it. Taking a closer look she turned it around and squinted her eyes as she caught sight of something on the back.

"I had the date and time of when we first met engraved." Spencer explained when she looked up at him.

He saw tears glistening in her eyes and before he knew it she hugged him tightly, burying her nose in the crook of his neck.

"I was so stupid tonight..." she whispered.

"No you weren't. I really wasn't acting the perfect boyfriend." he assured her.

"Can you help me put it on?" she asked excitedly, turning around and pulling up her hair.

When he had fastened the clasp behind her neck, she jumped up again, admiring it in the mirror.

"It's beautiful." she repeated, as she joined him in bed again. "I'll never take it off again." she whispered as she snuggled up to him again.

"Want to go to sleep?" he asked.

Annie looked up at him, her hand trailing down his chest under the duvet. "Somehow I'm not tired at all." she winked.

"Well in that case..." Spencer laughed, capturing her mouth in another kiss. Tasting her sweet lips he knew he would never get enough of her.

* * *

As he saw Annie stifle a yawn an hour later, Spencer quickly turned off the bedside lamp beside him. As Annie turned around he wrapped his arms around her from behind, her body a perfect fit against his chest. His eyes already closed, he breathed in the scent of her hair and felt her snuggle up closer to him.

"Good night, sunshine. I love you." he said, placing a kiss behind her ear.

"Good night. Love you too." she whispered, her voice tired as he clasped her hand in his.

Closing her eyes Annie couldn't help her thoughts drifting back to their fight. She still felt bad for what had happened, how could she ever think he'd be interested in another woman? What they had was special, unique. She had known it before, but feeling Spencer's arms around her she felt a certainty that almost made her heart burst.

Her hand covered by his, she touched the pendant of her necklace. And before she drifted off to sleep, she had one last thought. This was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

* * *

**Sorry it's a bit short, it seemed like a good place to stop. Don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer: I also don't own the poem I used, found it on a website but couldn't find a credit for it. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi my lovely readeres! **

**Thank you all for your great reviews, I am still overwhelmed by the great response to this story! So here's another chapter for you. Warning: Lots of fluff coming your way. ;)**

**Enjoy!**

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC'S!**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Pouring hot water into the teapot, Annie smiled up at her sister in law when she walked into the kitchen.

"Do you want a cup?" she asked as she opened the cabinet above the sink.

"No thanks, I'll just have some water and then have a little nap. I have finally managed to get Jacob to sleep." Lilly replied, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Yeah, he's been kind of cranky today. You know what, I'll make lunch today and I'll wake you up when it's ready, alright?" Annie declared, giving her a sympathetic look.

"Thanks sweetie. You know what they say, when the baby sleeps, mommy sleeps." Lilly chuckled as she poured herself a glass of water.

* * *

As she walked back into the living room, Annie smiled at the sight of Spencer still in the same spot on the couch she had left him 10 minutes ago, a pile of books on his feet.

They had spent the past days in a state of calm bliss. They had slept till mid-morning, followed by late breakfasts. One day had been dedicated to culture and they had not only visited the Guggenheim but also the Museum of Modern Art with Spencer once again spitting out random facts about artists, paint techniques and art movements. She would never understand how anyone could be annoyed by him rambling on, she loved nothing more than listening to his beautiful voice.

They had had long home-cooked dinners with Scott, Lilly and her parents. Her father and Spence had enjoyed a couple of games of chess one night. Spence had started to be embarrassed when he won every single game but her father had assured him he enjoyed the challenge.

Placing the two cups of green tea on the coffee table, she sat down next to him and planted a kiss on his cheek. Raising the cover of his book she looked at it.

"Another one?" she smiled as she read the title. "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy.

"Mhm." he mumbled, giving her a quick kiss and returning to his book. "I've read it before but it's one of my favourites." he added.

"Well, I'm still on my first." she chuckled as she grabbed her own book, "Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman".

Spence lifted his book and rested it on the armrest, making room for her head to resume its position on his lap. As she started reading again, Annie smiled as his hand absent-mindendly stroked her hair.

It was December 31st and the city had quieted down during the minor blizzard that was happening outside. They had spent the past two hours like this, curled up on the couch with their books, now and then sharing a gentle kiss.

After reading for half an hour, Annie lowered her book again, resting it on ther propped up legs.

"Are you hungry yet?"

"Hm?"

Annie chuckled when she looked up at him, still engrossed in his book. When he was reading it was sometimes difficult to get his attention. Raising her hand she gently turned his chin with her index finger so he would face her.

"Spence?" she asked again.

He gave a little laugh. "Sorry. What did you say?"

"I asked if you were hungry."

"Sure, I could eat." he nodded. "Especially when it's your food."

Laying her book on the table Annie jumped up. "Alright, I'll make a quick pasta dish."

"But remember, we're only three people!" Spencer called out when she had reached the door. "And we have reservations at that Italian place your brother recommended."

"You sound like my dad." she laughed out. "And like Rossi always says, there's no such thing as too much when it comes to Italian food. "

"And you cook like your mom." he winked, receiving a mock-evil stare.

"You're lucky you're so cute Spence." she winked back with a laugh before she turned on her heels and left the room.

* * *

"Mhm, I can't believe I have to wait at least another 2 hours before I can be alone with you." Spencer murmured into Annie's ear as she unlocked the door to her brother's apartment.

Her parents had arrived in the late afternoon, almost at the same time as Scott. Despite it being New Year's he had to make a quick visit to the office to go over some paperwork for an important case. After enjoying a quick drink with the four of them, Annie and Spencer had hurried off to the restaurant for their romantic dinner.

As he gently nibbled on her ear she turned around to face him, his hands moving from her waist to her bottoms as he pulled her closer.

"Hey, hey Spence, there are parents, a big brother and a child in there." Annie chuckled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "So behave."

"It's not my fault you decided to wear that dress." he mumbled as his mouth found hers and he pressed her against the doorframe.

She looked absolutely breathtaking in the royal-blue, one-shoulder satin dress that made her blue eyes pop. Her hair was styled up in a high ponytail, the subtle make-up perfectly emphasizing her natural beauty.

"You look quite handsome yourself." Annie breathed in between kisses.

She knew a lot of people didn't particularly care for his style but she loved it. And tonight he looked especially dashing in his dark grey suit, light-blue striped shirt and the purple tie that matched perfectly with the sarf she had given him and which he had slung around his brown coat.

They had had a wonderful night at the slightly uspcale restaurant. They had not not only enjoyed the food but had also shared a bottle of red wine and Annie had to admit she felt a bit tipsy. It had been the perfect evening. Their hands had only parted whenever a new dish arrived. They had stayed on long after they had finished their meal, so deep in conversation they hadn't noticed the time and had to hurry off to make sure they weren't late to ring in the New Year with her family.

Losing herself in his kiss for another few seconds she finally pulled away.

"That's enough for now Doctor." she grinned before turning the key in the lock. Turning her head over her shoulder, she gave him a little wink. "But that was just a preview."

* * *

As they stepped inside, they were greeted by a round of "Hello's" by her parents and Scott.

"Hey you two! Did you have a good night?" her brother asked.

"It was amazing! You were right, the food was delicious!" Annie replied as Spencer helped her out of her coat.

"But not as good as yours." Spencer insisted as he hung it up on the coat rack beside the door before taki

"No need to flatter her Spencer, you're already dating her." Scott joked, receiving an angry look from his sister.

"My man knows how to treat a lady. Thanks honey." Annie replied, placing a kiss on Spencer's cheek as she wrapped her arm around his waist.

"You two look so handsome tonight, I think this calls for a picture." Caroline joined in, already getting up to get her camera.

"Mom, this is not high school prom, you know. And even if it was, you usually do that before you go out." Annie laughed as her mother motioned for them to stand by the door.

"Nonsense. You know I like to have pictures of the family around the house." Caroline replied. "And I think you already qualify as family." she added with a smile at Spencer.

"Thank you Caroline." Spencer said shyly.

Annie looked up at him and saw a blush creep up on his cheeks. "Alright mom, but just one picture. It's midnight soon and we want to get up on the roof. Scott says the view from up there is great."

* * *

20 minutes later they had gathered two bottles of champagne and a few glasses and had climbed the few steps to the rooftop. Little Jacob had conveniently woken up in time for midnight. So Lilly had bundled him up in warm clothes and put him in the baby sling were he could rest comfortably under her coat while the adults would ring in the New Year.

Spencer let his glance slide over the city as he stepped up to the railing. New York truly was the city that never sleeps, especially tonight. The whole city was lit up with lights and they could even see the New York Times building where the ball would drop. Despite the freezing temperature the rooftops around them were filled with people.

As he turned around he saw Robert line up the champagne glasses on a little table in the corner. By now some more residents of the building had joined them. Scott, Annie and Lilly were chatting animatedly with an older couple. As he stepped up to Annie's mother she turned her head and gave him a smile.

"Can I help?" he asked as he saw her struggling with the cork of the champagne.

"Oh thank you Spencer, I can't seem to get this thing open." Caroline chuckled and handed him the bottle.

He quickly opened it and proceeded to pour the sparkling liquid into the glasses. When he was done he felt Caroline's gaze on him.

"It's been really nice spending some time with the two of you." she smiled.

"I enjoyed it too." he replied, sliding his cold hands into his pockets. "Thank you for inviting me to spend New Year's here."

"No need to thank us Spencer." she shook her head. "Like I said, you're practically family now."

She took a small pause as she surveyed his face and Spencer gave her a questioning look.

"You know, you make my daughter very happy..." she added with a look at Annie who was sharing her usual banter with Scott.

Spencer followed her gaze and couldn't help but smile when Annie noticed it and shot him a beaming smile, the twinkle in her eyes causing his heart to skip a beat. Facing Caroline again he shyly bit his lip.

"Not as happy as she makes me."

Caroline gave an appreciative nod. She had liked Spencer Reid from the moment she met him and the past months had only confirmed her first impression.

"I can see that Spencer." she replied. "Maybe one day you'll be officially part of our family. If you know what I mean..." she added with a little wink.

"Spence!" Annie interrupted him from answering as she rushed towards him. "It's only two minutes till midnight!"

He smiled when she reached him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her nose and cheeks were red from the cold as she kissed him, making him forget they were sorrounded by her parents and brother, who had just started handing out glasses to everyone.

"So, any New Year's resolutions?" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes as she took his hand and stepped up to the railing a couple of feet away from the others.

He shot an apologetic look at her mother who shot him an understanding smile, knowing the couple might want to have some privacy for their first New Year's together.

Spencer gave a little laugh as he pulled her close again. "Only to make you smile like that at least once every single day in the new year."

As Annie looked deep into his eyes it suddenly seemed like they were completely alone, the voices of the others starting their countdown faint in his ears.

"That sounds like a good New Year's resolution", she grinned back.

"What about you?"

Annie tilted her head, considering her answer for a moment. "The same thing you said." she laughed. Her face grew a little more serious as she gently stroked his cheek. "And to never make the mistake of not trusting you again."

"You know I'm yours." he replied, placing a kiss on her nose.

"And I'm yours."

"You know, I've never been kissed at midnight for New Year's." he admitted shyly.

Annie's mouth turned into a little smile. "Well then I guess we better make it count..." she whispered.

"FOUR, THREE, TWO.." sounded the voices from the others.

Spencer nodded his head as she stood on her tiptoes and pulled him closer, the shiver running down his spine definitely not from the cold.

"ONE!"

The crowd errupted in cheers as the New Year started. And when her lips met his he made another resolution to himself. This would be the year he would make her Mrs. Spencer Reid.

* * *

**Don't forget to leave a review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi everyone! **

**Since you all gave me such nice reviews on my last chapter (THANK YOU!), here's another one! Hope you enjoy it! **

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC'S!**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

"So do you have everything?" Caroline asked for what had to be the 10th time as they walked up to the airport security check at JFK.

It was January 2nd and their flight home to Washington D.C. was leaving in less than two hours. The first day of the New Year had been relaxed. It had started with a long breakfast after which they had all gotten comfy in the living room with hot cups of tea. Annie smiled at the memory of how well her brother and Spencer had gotten along. In the evening, Scott, Lilly, Spencer and her had gathered around the coffee table for a game of Scrabble while her mother insisted to prepare one last home-cooked meal for everyone.

"Yes Mom, I think they have everything. And they wouldn't fit any more stuff in their suitcases anywhere." Scott laughed and rolled his eyes at Annie in amusement.

"Don't think I didn't see that young man." Caroline exclaimed with a chuckle as she slapped her son's arm.

"He's right though." Spencer smiled. "But Annie was adamant that not only Sarah needed a gift from New York, no, she also had to get something for everyone in my team."

"They're like our second family! How could I not bring them at least a little something?" Annie insisted. "Anyways, I think we should get going or we'll miss our flight."

"Alright cupcake, you have a safe flight. And call us as soon as you get home." Robert said as he pulled his daughter into a long hug. Turning to Spencer he shook the young man's hand. "It was nice spending some more time with you Spencer."

"Likewise." Spencer replied. "And thanks for having us." he added as he shook Scott's hand.

"Anytime Spencer. And take care of the little one here, ok?" Annie's brother replied as he embraced her.

"I will." Spencer smiled while his girlfried proceeded to hug her sister in law and then turned to her mother.

"Goodbye mom. Thanks for everything." Annie smiled. "And I promise we'll make that visit to Portsmouth soon. I really want to show Spence where I grew up."

"I'll hold you to that promise, it's been far too long since you've been home." her mother replied solemnly. "And we'd love to have you." she added, turning to Spencer.

"I look forward to it." he said and held out his hand to shake hers.

Annie couldn't suppress a chuckle when her mom gave him a slight frown before embracing him in a hug, with Spencer blushing slightly.

"You're family now, so I get to hug you." Caroline laughed, giving him one last squeeze.

"Ok Mom, we really need to go now." Annie said as she looked at the large clock on the wall.

Taking Spencer's hand, they walked towards the security check, waving to her family.

* * *

"I can't believe our holiday is already over." Spencer sighed as he unlocked the door of his apartment.

He gave a little smile when she snuggled up to him as they walked in, her hair still messy from the nap she took on the plane. The past days had been among the best of his life. He was glad her family had welcomed him with open arms and made him feel at home. Until he met Annie, his work had been his life but now he wouldn't mind having a few more days off before diving back into the dark world of serial killers.

"I know, I wish we would have a couple more days without the constant threat of you being called away on a case." she voiced his thoughts as she followed him into inside, switching on the light.

"I'm sorry sunshine. I know how hard it is for you." he frowned as he placed their suitcases in the corner of the room and placed both their coats on the armchair beside the door.

He knew how she always worried whenever he was away. She had gotten into the habit of constantly checking her phone for the news if they worked on a prominently featured case. And even though Garcia had promised her to keep her updated whenever something important happened, he knew she was only able to relax once he had called her to tell her he was on his way back home. He hated that he had to do this to her, as much as he loved his job.

"Don't be sorry Spence. I knew what your job was when I met you. There are people out there who need you and I love that you're helping them." Annie insisted, repeating what she had told him countless times.

She stepped up to him and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. She would never, ever ask him to do anything else. Most of the time he refused to talk about the cases they worked on. She knew he only tried to keep her from worrying even more. And even though she probably wasn't allowed to talk about it, Penelope had told her some details and how many lives the team had saved. And every single one of them made it all worth it. But sometimes, when he came back from an especially gruelling case, she could see and feel how the things he had seen still haunted him and she wished he would open up to her and let her comfort him. But he always insisted that just being with her was enough to chase away the darkness.

Slightly shaking her head, she hugged him once more before she walked over to the kitchen and got out two glasses.

"Are you going to stay the night?" Spencer asked hopefully as he opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water.

"If you don't mind?" Annie smiled as he poured their drinks. "I know you have to get up pretty early tomorrow. But I thought I could join you and say hi to the team. And give them their gifts. I don't have to be back at the cafe till the day after tomorrow."

"Sure I don't mind. In fact, I would hate to spend the night alone." Spencer beamed as he pulled her into a tight hug, her face nestling in the crook of his chest.

"Just remind me to not forget my suitcase, I still have to unpack. I did quite a lot of shopping with Lilly." she chuckled.

Spencer let his gaze rest on her as she walked over to couch and sat down. He watched as she slipped off her shoes and tucked her feet underneath her thighs while she turned on the TV.

"Want to watch an episode of Star Trek before we go to bed?" she grinned up at him.

"Sure." he smiled back.

As he sat down next to her she shifted and lifted his arm, placing it around her as her head came to rest on his chest. Feeling her warm body next to her, the scent of her hair filling his nose, he realized he never wanted to spend a night without her, not when he was home.

Taking the remote he turned down the volume.

"What if you just unpack here?" he asked, the corners of his mouth twitching when she sat up and looked at him.

"What do you mean, unpack here?" she asked in confusion. "I think I've already taken over enough space in your apartment with my stuff." she added with a wink.

Spencer sat up and took her hands in his. He knew they had been dating for less than a year and he suddenly felt nervous about what he had to say. He took a deep breath before he coninued.

"What I want to say is..." he gulped and started again. "What if we move in together?"

He looked at her expectantly and when she didn't reply but just stared at him he felt his heart beat faster. "I mean, we don't have to do it if you think it's to soon. And we don't have to live here if you prefer your place or we could get a new one, a bigger one..."

He suddenly stopped when he saw the twinkle in her eyes.

"I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

Annie's mouth spread into a wide grin. "Yes you are." she nodded.

Spencer felt himself relax. "I love you, and we spend almost every night together when I'm not away with the team. I want this, I want to come home to you, to our home."

Annie was sure her heart would burst out of her chest any moment. She had never lived with a guy before but she knew she wanted the same thing. She wanted to fall asleep in their bed and wake up next to him every morning. She wanted him to come home to her. To their home, as he had put it.

"So what do you say?" He raised his eyebrow.

And before he knew it she plunged into him, her arms wrapped around his neck.

"I say this is the best idea my favourite genius ever had." she laughed happily, placing a kiss on his lips.

* * *

Spencer shook his head in amusement as Annie mentally checked off all items in the large bag located in the trunk of his car, mumbling to herself. She always did that whenever she was deep in thought.

"I think we have everything, you checked it twice before we left." he assured her.

"I guess you're right but I don't want anyone to feel left out. Do you think they'll like their gifts?" she asked as she heaved the bag over her shoulder.

"I'm sure they'll love them." he smiled.

Quickly stepping up to her he relieved her of the heavy item, earning a thankful nod. Taking her hand in his they walked towards the entry and he swiped his card.

A few minutes later they stepped out of the elevator and Spencer opened the glass doors leading to the bullpen.  
A couple of feet away they could see Emily and Derek at their desks, their heads burried in paperwork. They were just about to walk up to them when a loud screech startled them.

"Reid! Annie! Oh my babies are back!" Penelope Garcia yelled as she hurried towards them.

Annie chuckled as she saw the bubbly blonde, sporting one of her outrageous outfits. Spencer grinned as Emily and Derek looked up from their files and started laughing. As Penelope reached them Annie immediately felt herself embraced in a tight hug.

"Oh my sweeties how I have missed you. How are you, how was it, what did you do?"

"Baby girl, how about one question at a time." Morgan laughed as he and Emily reached them and gave them equally warm hugs. "Hi guys. Glad to have you back."

"And we're glad to be back." Annie smiled. "And we come bringing gifts." she added, pointing at the bag slung over Spencer's shoulder.

"Ohhh, sweetie how nice of you!" Garcia cooed. "I'll get Hotch, JJ and Rossi and you can tell us all about your trip!" she exclaimed, already scurrying off on her bright red heels.

Half an hour later they had all gathered around the table in the kitchenette that was attached to the bullpen. Spencer squeezed Annie's hand as the chatter of voices filled the room.

They had all been excited about the presents they had brought. Garcia had immediately dived into the box of handmade chocolate from a small store in Brooklyn while Emily had burst into laughter when Annie handed her the coffee mug with "Sergio" written across it that she had found in Little Italy. By now Rossie had almost finished his bag of home-made Cantuccini they had found in a small bakery in the same neighbourhood and Derek was already wearing his NYC shirt. JJ was still admiring the hand-crafted necklace Annie had found at a vintage market in SOHO and Aaron had been excited about the book on the history of the New York marathon since he currently trained for the FBI marathon.

They had spent the past 20 minutes telling them about their trip, what they had seen, what they had done.

""So I take it you had a good time?" JJ asked as she poured herself another cup of coffee.

"Yes we did. It was the perfect holiday, wasn't it?" Annie beamed and kissed Spencer's cheek.

"Aww, you guys are just too cute." Garcia cooed again. She would never stop being excited that their youngest team member had finally found happiness. And she also prided herself in the fact that she had been the one to introduce them,

"So, should we tell them?" Spencer asked with a look at Annie.

"Tell us what?" JJ asked with raised eyebrows.

"Well, we kind of have big news." Annie grinned, her face lighting up.

"Oh my god, you're getting married! Show me your hand!" Garcia gasped, grabbing Annie's left hand and he face fell when she didn't see a ring.

"No we're not silly." Annie laughed.

"You're pregnant!" Penelope screeched, her mouth curling into a wide smile again.

"No!" Spencer almost yelled, his eyes wide. "You're not, right?" he asked with a look at his girlfriend.

Rossi burst out laughing and patted his shoulder. "That little nephew of Annie put you off, ha?"

"No he didn't." Spencer replied, slightly blushing. "I.. I didn't mean it that way." he added, giving Annie an apologetic look.

"I know honey. And no, I'm not pregnant." Annie chuckled and squeezed his hand.

Turning back to the others, she continued. "Spence and I decided to move in together."

Spencer and her laughed happily as the team errupted in cheers, congratulating them on the next step in their relationship.

"So are you going to find a new place?" Emily asked.

"Well, we decided she's going to move in with me for now. And then we might look for a bigger place eventually." Spencer smiled.

"This so calls for a shopping spree!" Penelope called out in excitement.

"Oh no, you're going to turn my, sorry, our apartment into a second bat cave, aren't you?" Spencer sighed dramatically.

"Let me tell you one thing Spencer." Rossi chuckled. "When it comes to decorating, there's no use trying to get your way once a woman moves in..."

* * *

**Don't forget to review! And have a great weekend!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello my lovely readers! **

**Again, thanks to everyone for reviewing/following/favouriting! Here's another chapter for you!**

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's! **

* * *

**Chapter 9**

"So, this Sunday is the big moving day!" Sarah stated as she took a bite of her scone. "Are you excited?"

Annie smiled and nodded her head. "I am. I'm so looking forward to living with Spence." she replied excitedly.

It had been 4 weeks since they had gotten back from New York and decided to move in together. She had immediately given her landlord her 4-weeks notice and this weekend she would officially move into Spencer's apartment. They had both been happy that not only her parents but also Spencer's mom had been delighted at hearing the news. Diana had even started sending her weekly letters and she immensely enjoyed writing back to her.

"I have to admit, had you told me a year ago that Reid would be moving in with a girl I wouldn't have believed it." Garcia giggled while stirring some more sugar into her latte - with extra foam, as usual.

Garcia had taken the afternoon off to join her friends at Annie's cafe for some much-needed girl's talk over coffee and scones.

"I bet you're not looking forward to dirty socks on the floor and open toothpaste tubes in the bathroom." Sarah laughed.

"Well, at least Reid won't spend hours in front of the TV watching football. Or baseball. Or basketball." Penelope giggled. "But you might have to prepare yourself for some boring science programs."

Annie shook her had in amusement. "First of all, Spence is very tidy, so no socks or toothpaste. And I happen to enjoy those afternoons on the couch watching shows where I actually learn something. I mean, we've practically been living together for the past weeks, I only went home to my place when the team was on a case. So I know what to expect. But this will still be different. I've never lived with a guy. And we'll have no place to retreat to if we feel like it."

"Oh, you can't fool us sweetie." Sarah laughed. "Like you two would ever need a place to retreat to. You're barely able to keep your hands off each other when you're together."

"Not true!" Annie gasped and slapped her friend's arm playfully, her other hand touching the pi symbol around her neck.

"Oh no, she's right sister." Penelope winked and gave a little smile as she saw her friend's gesture. "You've managed to turn our shy little baby into a love-machine."

"I have not!" Annie blushed, the corners of her mouth twitching into a smile.

"Uhu, you have." Garcia nodded, her pigtails bouncing at the movement. "Reid used to be the most punctual person on earth, he was usually the first one in the office and the last one to leave. But just yesterday he was half an hour late and looked like he had just fallen out of bed."

"That's nothing compared to what happened last week Pen." Sarah shook her head and gave a little snort of laughter.

"Uhhh, spill my friend, spill." Penelope gasped excitedly.

"Don't!" Annie shot her friend a warning look.

"Well, let's just say I wish I would have known Spence had come back from a case when I came by the cafe to pick up Annie last week to go for a movie..." Sarah giggled. "I was just glad I didn't enter the kitchen a couple of minutes later or..."

"Ok, that's enough you two!" Annie interrupted. "I'm beginning to curse the day you two met." she shook her head. "I don't know which one of you is worse..."

"Oh honey, don't be mad. And you better not curse that day as there wouldn't be anything to tease you about had I not walked in here." Penelope smiled and leaned back with a satisfied look on her face, taking another sip of her coffee. "You would never have met Reid if it hadn't been for me."

"Alright, alright. And I will forever be thankful for the day the wonderful Penelope Garcia came into my life." Annie chuckled.

"I am wonderful, aren't I?" Penelope said with a sigh, causing Sarah to errupt in laughter.

"But can we please change the topic now?" Annie rolled her eyes. "Like, how both of you are going to help me pack this Saturday?" she added with a wink.

* * *

"Want to take a break and get some coffee?" Derek asked as he looked up from his desk.

Spencer leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. "Sounds like a good idea."

So far, it had been a quiet day and they had spent the past couple of hours finishing some reports that had been neglected until now. He usually didn't mind paperwork but today he had found it hard to concentrate. Annie would be moving in in just three days and his mind kept drifting off to her. He was excited about them living together but in the past few days his mind had been occupied by dark thoughts. He knew it was silly but they kept popping up in his head and there was nothing he could do about it. Shaking his head he rubbed his eyes again and let out a sigh.

"Tired?" Derek asked.

"Yeah, kind of. I just really hope we won't have a case this weekend, I'd hate for Annie to do all the moving by herself." Spencer replied.

"Pretty boy shacking up with a girl. I never thought I'd see the day." Derek chuckled. "So have you made some room in your apartment for Annie's stuff?"

"Yes I have." Spencer nodded, ignoring Morgan's teasing, as they walked towards the coffee machine. "We're both going to put some of our furniture in storage. But we really want to get a bigger place as soon as possible."

When they reached it he poured them both a cup and started to heap a couple of spoonfulls of sugar into his. As they sat down on the little table, he took a sip and sighed as the caffeine hit his system.

"If you want I can ask around a bit, ever since I started buying and renovating property I've met some landlords in some of the buildings. Maybe one of them has an apartment for rent you and Annie would like."

"That'd be great Morgan. Between me flying all over the country and Annie's work at the cafe we barely had time to look at openings." Spencer nodded gratefully.

"Yes, we've been away quite a lot in the past weeks." Derek agreed. "You're a lucky guy to have found a woman who puts up with the drawbacks of this job."

"She still worries about me though, and that worries me." Spencer sighed, his face turning into a frown. "In fact, she worries about all of us."

"And she always will. That's just something you both will have to live with." Morgan replied, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Spencer hesitated for a moment before he spoke again, not sure if he should share his feelings. "I've seen what this job can do to a relationship. Rossi has been married three times. And look at the toll this job has taken on Hotch and Haileys marriage, not to mention she might still be alive had it not been for what we do... It sometimes scares me, Morgan. What if some day she'll have enough of it all. What if someone targets her because of me, like Foyet did with Hailey? Will us living together make her more vulnerable?" Spencer almost cried out, his voice desperate. "It's not fair to her!"

Derek Morgan looked at his friend with a frown on his face. Of course he partly agreed with him. Dating and FBI agent wasn't easy, he of all people would know. Yes, he had the image of a ladies man and he couldn't complain about a shortage of women in his life. But so far he hadn't found that special someone who accepted that his job wasn't just a job, it was something he had to do. Had he not been so happy for his best friend, he would have felt jealous that Reid had found a girl like Annie who supported him no matter what.

"No Reid, it's not fair. But life almost never is." Morgan said and took a deep breath. "But you need to get out of your head here. Would you really want to go back to living your life alone?"

Spencer raised his head, a shocked look on his face. Just the thought of not having her in his life almost broke his heart. "Of course not Morgan!"

"Well, for a minute there it sounded like you're on the verge of calling off the moving-in thing."

"I would never do that!" Spencer gasped.

"I know Reid, I just wanted you to say it out loud, to make you realize you are talking nonsense right now. You know what I think? You and Annie have been together for almost a year and I think you've realized that she is the One. And of course that scares you. When you truly love someone there will always be moments when you're scared. Scared of losing them, scared something will happen to them, scared that one day you'll have to leave them. And it doesn't have anything to do with being an FBI agent. It has something to do with being human."

Derek couldn't hold back a slight chuckle when his friend just stared at him. "Don't look at me like that. Did you really expect anything else from a profiler?"

Spencer slowly felt the weight on his shoulders lift. Morgan was right, being scared was part of life. But that was no reason to give up what he had with Annie.

"And are you seriously telling me you could live without Annie?" Derek asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, no I couldn't. I actually can't wait to _really_ live with her. " Spencer replied, his mouth curling into a smile as he thought of his girlfriend. "You're right Morgan. I think I just needed to talk about this. Thanks for listening."

"That's what friends are for kid." Derek smiled back. "And now let's get back and finish that paperwork or our lovely ladies will really have to do all the moving by themselves." he added with a chuckle.

* * *

**Don't forget to leave a review and I'll update again soon!** **;-)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi! **

**Sorry for the long wait but I had a busy week! ;-) Thank you all for the lovely reviews and here's another chapter for you!**

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's!**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

"Ohhh, this is all so exciting, don't you think hot stuff?" Garcia giggled as he jumped into Derek Morgan's large van.

He had bought it when he had started tearing down and rebuilding property since it always involved a lot of material he had to transport back and forth. Today was Sunday, the day their baby of the team and Annie would finally move in together. JJ, Emily and her had joined Sarah and Annie for some extensive packing yesterday, refusing Spencer's offer to help as they all agreed that it was a great opportunity for some girl's only fun. Well, with the exception of little Henry, who had been proud to help his new auntie, as he now regularly called Annie.

They had gotten to work right away, ordered some pizza for lunch and after they were done they had opened a bottle of wine with Henry falling asleep on the couch while the five women talked long into the night, longer than they had intended.

Stifling a yawn Penelope, looked over at Derek as he replied.

"It sure is baby girl. Who would have thought that after years of us teasing him about his lack of romance, Reid would actually find the perfect match?" he chuckled.

"They are a perfect match, aren't they?" Penelope cooed. "And all this would never have happened if it wasn't for my curious nature that made me step into that cafe a little less than a year ago." she added proudly.

Morgan let out a laugh. "Yes, you might have mentioned that once or twice. Maybe you should switch jobs and open up a matchmaking agency."

Garcia tilted her head to her side, her hand on her chin. "Not a bad idea my chocolate thunder. But no, you guys would be lost without your tech kitten." she laughed. "But maybe I should set up a bi-monthly single's party for all those lonely FBI agents."

"Yeah, I think Strauss wouldn't exactly approve of you encouraging fraternisation." Derek laughed.

"True. But anyways, back on topic. Is Reid as excited as Annie?" she asked.

"Of course he is. But we had to have a little talk. As much as I appreciate his genius at work, it would sometimes do him good to use that brain of his a little less." Morgan replied. "He worries too much."

"But what in the world does he have to worry about?" Garcia enquired, her brows furrowing.

"He's worried this job will one day put a strain on their relationship. And that he might be putting Annie in danger, now that he's found _the One_ he's afraid something might happen to her, like it did with Hailey..."

Penelope was unusually silent for a minute as she remembered Hotch's wife. Well, technically she had been his ex-wife but no one ever thought about her that way. Her death had had an effect on all of them and even though their unit chief often kept his emotions at bay, they could still sometimes see that haunted look in his eyes.

"Oh Morgan... Did you talk to him about it?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "Did you tell him he shouldn't worry so much?"

"I did baby girl. I think he needed to talk about it. And it's all good. I guess he just has to get used to the fact that he now has someone in his life who cares about him the way Annie does. And I think her getting kidnapped still haunts him sometimes. But don't you worry, nothing will ever break Annie and him apart, they are too much in love for that." Derek smiled and patted her hand.

"Oh yes, they really are..." Penelope replied dreamily.

* * *

As he looked around the living room of Reid's apartment, Derek Morgan shook his head. Spencer and Annie had already waited at her place and they had quickly loaded everything into the van and driven over to Reid's apartment. For the past hour they had been unloading boxes. The furniture she wanted to keep and put into storage was still downstairs. The whole room was full of boxes, only a narrow trail leading the way from the entrance to the bathroom and bedroom. The dark brown leather couch was covered with coats. Letting out a sigh he turned around when Penelope and Sarah entered the room.

"Baby girl, I sure hope this is the last box or I'm gonna have to tear down that wall to the neighbouring apartment." he chuckled.

Setting down the box marked "shoes" that she had been carrying, Garcia looked around. "I wouldn't mind you tearing down my walls hot stuff." she laughed. "But I doubt Reid's neighbours would approve it. And don't worry, this is the last box."

"Will there even be room for everything once it's unpacked?" Sarah asked, stepping into the room behind Penelope. "I highly doubt it."

"Doubt what?" piped up Spencer's voice as he and Annie walked in, setting a large framed painting against the wall.

"Sweetie, there is no way you will ever be able to unpack all of that. There just isn't enough room." Sarah said as she looked at her best friend.

"Well, we'll see about that." Annie replied determinedly. "And I can always put some more of the stuff I don't need right away into storage."

"Yeah, like some of your clothes. There are at least 6 boxes of them..." Derek chuckled.

"Derek Morgan!" Garcia exclaimed in mock-horror. "Did you not learn anything from growing up with two sisters and spending time with your favorite goddess?"

Spencer couldn't hold back a laugh as he placed a hand on Morgan's shoulder. "And you're telling _me_ I have a lot to learn about women..."

"Oh, don't get cheeky with me pretty boy."

"Me? Never." Spencer snickered.

"Alright, enough with the bantering boys, we have work to do!" Penelope interrupted . "Or we'll still be here tomorrow morning, I don't think Hotch would appreciate three of his team members being late."

"Aye-aye mam." Derek smirked as he jokingly saluted her. "At your service and ready to receive your orders."

Garcia let out a laugh and batted her eyelashes at him. "Oh hot stuff, you better stop that dirty talk or I can't guarantee for anything..."

* * *

"Are you sure you two will be alright unpacking the rest by yourself?" Sarah asked, her gaze on the boxes that were still in the corner of the room, untouched.

"Yes we are." Annie nodded as she looked around around the room. "I think we managed to put away most of the everyday stuff. The rest can wait."

"She's right. And you guys have really helped enough." Spencer agreed as he slipped his arm around Annie's waist.

"Is that your polite way of saying you want us to leave so you can start celebrating your first night of offically living together?" Penelope winked at the young couple.

"I think you might be onto something here baby girl." Morgan chuckled when he saw a small blush creep up Spencer's cheeks.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Annie replied, the corners of her mouth twitching into a smile.

"Of course you don't." Sarah laughed. "But we get the hint. If you need any more help tomorrow you just call me ok?"

"I will. And thanks for everything guys." Annie smiled, embracing her friend in a hug. "And thanks for letting us use the truck Derek."

"Anytime sweetie." Morgan replied, placing a brief kiss on her cheek. "See you tomorrow at work kid." he added, patting Reid on the shoulder.

"See you tomorrow Morgan. And thanks."

"Bye my babies." Garcia was the last to hug both of them. "Enjoy the rest of the night."

As they stepped outside, Spencer closed the door behind their three friends, giving them one last wave. When he turned around, his lips curled into a wide grin when Annie stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Finally alone." she whispered as she placed a small kiss on his lips.

"Mhm." he murmured as he pulled her closer, his eyes closing as his mouth captured hers again.

"So what do you say we move this into the bedroom?" Annie winked. "_Our_ bedroom?"

"I say this is an excellent idea." Spencer winked back.

Swooping her into his arms he elicited a little squeal from her and carried her towards the bedroom. _Their_ bedroom...

* * *

Her head resting on Spence's bare chest, his hands gently stroking her back, Annie let out a happy sigh.

"You think we'll make this work?" she asked, her finger painting little circles on his belly as she looked up at him.

"Make what work?" Spencer mumbled, his voice tired.

"Living together?" she replied, placing a kiss on his chest. "I've never lived with a guy."

"And I've never lived with a woman." he replied, his hand reaching up to stroke her cheek. "But I know this will work out. It just... it feels right."

Annie hesitated for a moment before she continued. When she and Penelope had gone out to get some sandwiches and coffee for their break earlier today, the bubbly blonde had let something slip and eventually told her about Spencer's worries. It had been on her mind all day and she knew she needed to talk about this with him. Propping herself up on her elbow, she kissed him again.

"It does feel right. But... Garcia told me about what you said to Morgan." she started.

Spencer felt his heart skip a beat, suddenly wide awake again.

"That you worry about what your job might do to us..." she whispered.

"Annie, I didn't..." Spencer bit his lip and took a deep breath. "I don't know, it's just.. with all that has happened to the team over the years, I can't help but worry sometimes."

Annie looked at him, her eyes soft. "I know Spence. And I love that you can talk to Morgan about it, he's your best friend. But you know you can talk to me too, right?"

Seeing the look in her eyes, he quickly pulled her into his arms and nuzzled her neck. "I know. I'm sorry. But I just thought I shouldn't burden you with my thoughts."

She pulled away again and gently pushed a strand of hair from his face. "There's nothing to be sorry for Spence." she smiled softly. "And you're not burdening me. I don't want you to bottle up everything inside just to protect me."

"You're right." he nodded. "I love you."

"Even though I've turned your apartment into a storage facility?" she chuckled, trying to lighten the mood again. "I think I slightly underestimated the amount of stuff I have."

"Our apartment." he reminded her with a smile. "And we will look for a bigger place. With enough room for all our things."

"Yes. With room for plenty of bookshelves so we won't have to stack them on the floor." Annie laughed.

"And maybe a bigger closet." Spencer winked. "And a proper kitchen, I can't have my favorite chef cook in these conditions." he added thinking of his tiny kitchenette.

"And a fireplace!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I've always wanted to have one."

"Whatever you want sunshine, we'll try to get it." he replied as he kissed her again, his hand resting on her waist.

His other hand reached over to the lamp of his bedside table and he switched off the light. Annie turned around and sighed happily as he wrapped his arms around her, her back pressing against his chest.

"I love that we're going to fall asleep like this every night from now on." she whispered, pressing a kiss on his hand. "And I love you."

"I love you too." he whispered in her ear. "And sweet dreams. You know whatever you dream the first night in a new home comes true."

Annie gave a soft laugh. "I thought you weren't superstitious Doctor."

Spencer snuggled up closer and smiled as he closed his eyes. "Well, you never know..."

* * *

**Don't forget to leave a review and the next chapter will be up soon! ;-)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi you awesome readers! **

**Once again, thank you so much for all your reviews! I love you all! **

**Thought I'd give you another chapter for the end of the weekend! :D**

**So enjoy! **

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters, except for my OC's!**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

As he turned on the faucet in the shower, Spencer smiled to himself as he heard Annie's voice through the door. They had been living together for two months now and he still loved their morning routine of having breakfast together before they got ready to leave for work. It was always the same ritual, he would get up first, knowing how much she relished to take her time waking up. When she joined him in the kitchen he would have both their coffees ready. His with excessive amounts of sugar while she preferred to drink it with just a tiny bit of milk, enjoying the bitterness of the hot beverage. They would share the morning paper over a bowl of cereal. Then Annie would insist to clear off the table, singing along to the radio on the top of her voice, while he started his shower.

He quickly took off his boxers and t-shirt and stepped into the large bathtub. Feeling the hot water hit his body, he shook his head to himself. How he could ever have doubted living with Annie would be anything other than wonderful was now a mystery to him.

He had just put a little dab of shampoo into his palm when he heard the door open.

"Don't forget we have the appointment to look at that house at 3 honey.." Annie said as she splashed her face with water. Grabbing the small towel from the hanger she dabbed her face dry before reaching for her toothbrush and the toothpaste. "So, we'll just meet up there, right?" she asked and started to brush her teeth.

"I know. You told me about 10 times." Spencer laughed as he lathered his hair with shampoo.

"I'm just really excited about that place." she replied, her voice muffled by the toothbrush in her mouth. "It's a house for pete's sake! And in our price range!"

They had spent the past few weeks looking at apartments but so far none had been right. They had either beeen too small, too dingy or way too expensive. That's why they had been so surprised when they had found a house that not only looked good in the pictures but also had a reasonable rent. Annie had been beyond excited when she had come across the ad in one of her searches on the internet. She had been talking about it all weekend, imagining how great it would be to live in a house with a garden. She had been especially excited about the prospect of being able to grow her own vegetables. And he had to agree with her, a house made so much more sense.

"I'll be there." he replied as he peeked out behind the shower curtain and looked at her leaning against the sink, still only dressed in those cute little blue pajama shorts and a small white tank top that revealed more than it covered. "And now shut up and join me in the shower." he grinned, as his gaze travelled over her body.

"Is that an order, Agent?" she chuckled, taking a step towards him and pouting her lips.

"Oh yes it is." he said seriously as he grabbed her hand.

"Ahh, you're getting me all wet." she screeched laughingly, as he placed a kiss on her lips and pulled her into the shower.

"Then you better take off those clothes." he mumbled with a smile, his mouth travelling down her neck, his fingers pushing down the straps of her soaked shirt...

* * *

"Morning Reid." Rossi greeted him when he walked into the bullpen an hour later. "Did you have a good weekend?"

"Yes we did." Spencer nodded and smiled. "Although we hardly went out with all the rain these past few days."

"Well, when you have the right company, staying home can be the best option." Dave winked.

"How was your book signing in San Francisco?" Spencer asked, knowing Rossi had finally been able to schedule another reading for his latest work.

"Good. Quite the turnout, even for my standards." Rossi laughed. "And I was even able to sneak in a visit to good old Napa Valley for some wine tasting."

"I thought you preferred Italian?" Emily asked as she came up behind them with Morgan.

"Yeah, I think I distinctively remember you saying that nothing compares to an original Chianti." Derek laughed.

"Ah, of course I prefer Italian. But I have to admit, the stuff they make up there comes close." Rossi chuckled.

"You know, commercial wine production in the Napa Valley actually dates back to the 19th Century but the prohibitoin in the 20s caused many wineries to shut down. Premium wine production only started in the 60s. The combination of a Mediterranean climate, geography and geology of the region are conductive to growin quality wine grapes. Today it's home to over 450 wineries and the region has almost 4,5 million visitors per year," Spencer rambled on.

He lowered his hands when he saw Emily and Morgan raise their eyebrows at him. "Sorry guys."

"At least for once you're spitting out facts that actually interest me." Dave smirked.

"So Reid, how's the apartment hunt going, found anything yet?" Emily asked.

Spencer shook his head. "No, but we do have an appointment to look at a house this afternoon."

"A house? You guys should have told me you want a house. I just finished fixing up one, if you want I could rent it out to you." Derek raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Maybe even sell it to you if you finally decide to pop the question and make an honest woman out of your Annie." he added with a chuckle.

Emily looked at Spencer, a smile on her lips. "Do I hear wedding bells in the future?"

Spencer blushed and looked down at the floor. Ever since New Year's he hadn't been able to get the thought of marrying Annie out of his head. They would soon be celebrating their one-year anniversary and he knew that putting a ring on her finger would make the occasion even more perfect. A few weeks back, he had even gone into the jewellery store that he passed every day on his way from work and looked at rings

"Um..." he started and closed his mouth again, not sure what to reply. He knew how the team liked to gossip and he would hate for Annie to find out and spoil the surprise. He was glad for the distraction when he saw JJ approach them. But his heart instantly fell when she held up the file in her hand and started to speak, knowing there was no way he would be able to keep his promise to Annie and meet her this afternoon.

"Guys, we have another case. Hotch wants us in the meeting room."

* * *

They were all taking their place at the roundtable as JJ switched on the large monitor in front of it. His other team members were already holding their tablets as she placed a file in front of Spencer. He smiled up at her, mouthing a little thanks. She never failed to remember that he preferred paper to technology.

"Over the past three weeks, four young males, Martin Lovett, Steve Molton, Eric McAllister and Brian Ailes, have all been reported missing in Baltimore." JJ started and pressed a button on her remote and the images of the men appeared on the screen. "And all four turned up dead within three to five days." she continued, using the remote again.

Garcia quickly covered her eyes. "Ahhh, tell me when it's gone." she gasped.

And despite being used to the depths of human violence, the whole team flinched when they saw the images pop up on the screen. It was hard to believe the pictures showed the same men, their faces hardly recognizable from heavy bruising and cuts.

"Yeah..." JJ murmured. "Extensive bruising and other injuries on their bodies indicate that they had been tortured or attacked multiple times over a period of several days. All of them died from cerebral haemorrhage caused by repeated blows to the head."

"Any signs of sexual abuse?" Emily asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.

JJ shook her head. "No, none."

"But all of them had substantial brusing and abrasion on their knuckles." Emily ventured and JJ pressed the button on her remote again, showing a detailed picture of the men's hands.

"So they fought back?" Spencer asked, glancing up from the file.

"Looks like it. And there were no ligature marks on their wrists or ankles, so they weren't restrained. Which means we're most likely dealing with a male unsub, and a physically fit one if he was able to overpower them. They all worked out regularly and were described as being in good shape by their families." Hotch answered.

"So if it's not sexual release he's seeking, he's probably a sadist, seeing what he did to these men." Morgan growled.

"We're gonna get into the profile as soon as we're there." Hotch replied. "So grab your go-bags. Wheels up in thirty."

* * *

Annie looked at the clock above the coffee counter again as she walked back from serving some coffee and bagels to a group of young college girls who were sitting at the table by the window. It was mid-morning and she and Holly had been busy providing the patrons with their caffeine and sugar fix for the past hour. Straightening her dark blue lace skirt, she noticed the baked goods in the display were quickly diminishing.

"I'll just be in the kitchen and pop some more muffins in the oven, I still have a batch of batter left." she smiled at her waitress and made her way into the kitchen.

Opening the fridge she took out the large bowl and put it on the counter. Grabbing the large muffin tray she proceeded to fill it and walked over to the oven. She had just closed the lid again when her phone started ringing. Rushing over to her purse she had hung up on the coat rack by the back door, she roamed for it and her heart fell when she saw Spencer's face on the screen. She knew this could only mean one thing.

"Hey honey. What's up?" she answered it, trying to keep her voice light even though she knew what was coming.

"Hi sunshine." he said through the line and the tone of his voice confirmed her foreboding.

"We have another case." he sighed. "So I won't be able to make that appointment after all. I'm so sorry..."

"It's alright honey." Annie assured him, her voice soft. "I'll ask Sarah to look at the house with me if that's alright with you? I really don't want to pass it up."

"Sure you do that." she could hear him smile now. "And then you can tell me all about it."

"So where are you headed this time?" she asked.

"Not that far. Baltimore."

"Does that mean you'll be able to sleep at home? It's only a one-hour drive." she asked, her heart giving a happy beat at the hope of at least having him home safely in her arms at night.

"I don't know yet, depends on how the case progresses. I'll call you later as soon as I know more okay?"

Annie nodded her head. "Yeah, do that. I'll send you a text when I've looked at the house."

"Okay. Listen, I have to go, the others are waiting." she could hear the hurry in his voice now. "I love you!"

"I love you too." she smiled. "And Spence, be safe!" she added.

"I will be." he promised before he hung up.

The phone still in her hand, Annie stared at it for a few moments, lost in her own thoughts. Stuffing the phone back in her purse, she tried to shake that uneasy feeling that was suddenly creeping up her neck and made the hairs on her arms stand up...

* * *

**Don't forget to leave a review! ;-)  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi everyone! **

**It took a little longer but it's been a busy week. So here's a new chapter! Enjoy! **

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC'S! **

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Spencer stretched his arms high above his head, his mouth forming a large yawn. Shaking his head to get rid of the fatigue overcoming him he stood up, deciding to get some much-needed caffeeine. He was halfway through the load of old case files he was scanning for any related crimes with similar MO's to the recent killings. And even though it was only early afternoon he already felt tired. It wasn't the first time he had been chosen to cover that part of their work, his ability to read 20.000 words per minute proving useful once again. Another body had been found just a few hours ago, prompting Hotch to decide they would not go back to D.C. as they had done the night before. Instead they would get the few hours of sleep they would be able to fit in in a little motel near the police station where they had set up.

He slowly walked out of the meeting room full of boxes that he had spent the past 2 hours in. The bullpen of the police station was bustling with officers, the constant noise of ringing phones filling the room. The case had gotten media attention by now and a lot of valuable time was wasted answering calls with useless tips. As he reached coffee machine, he poured himself a large cup of the brown liquid and added four heaped teaspoons of sugar.

As he walked back to the room, he took his seat at the large table again. He took a large gulp and leaned back, enjoying the wakening effect for a few moments. Giving a deep sigh, he opened the next file, his eyes quickly scanning the pages before he reached for the next folder.

* * *

"So have you made a desicion on the house yet?" Sarah asked as she picked up a scented candle, wrinkling her nose when the way too intense scent hit her nostrils.

"I really like it but I want to wait until Spence is back so he can have a look at it too." Annie replied with a laugh at her friend's facial expression.

She had taken the second half of the day off, with Josh covering the afternoon shift, to have some much-needed girl's time with her best friend. They had spent the past two hours canvassing the shops in Georgetown and all the browsing and chattering had really taken her mind off the case Spencer was working on.

"Speaking of your man, is he gonna be back tonight?" Sarah asked.

Annie shook her head. "Unfortunately not. They don't have any leads yet and the media pressure to catch this guy is getting worse by the minute."

"Yeah, I saw it on the news this morning. They mentioned how violent the killings are." Sarah frownend. "It's still kind of surreal to know they're talking about my best friend's boyfriend when they mention "the FBI investigation"." she added with a sigh.

"Well, I'm getting used to it." Annie shrugged. "Lately I've tried not to watch too much news coverage when he's working a case. Makes me worry even more..."

"He'll be fine sweetie." Sarah replied, placing a hand on her arm. "He always is, isn't he?"

Annie nodded her head. "You're right." she smiled, trying to rid her thoughts of that eery feeling. "So are we done with the shopping for today?"

Sarah linked her arm into hers as they left the shop and started strolling down the busy street.

Sarah let out a small laugh. "Oh I am not nearly done. Don't you have your anniversary coming up?"

Annie's mouth spread into a wide grin. "Yep, only three more weeks. We're going out for dinner to that Indian restaurant where we had our first date."

"Aw, aren't you two cute?" Sarah chuckled. "Well what do you say we buy you a new outfit for the occasion?"

Annie laughed and shook her head. "Don't need one. I'm planning on wearing the same dress I wore on that first date."

"Ok, now you're just showing off." her best friend laughed. Tilting her head, she suddenly stopped and a wide grin spread across her face. "Then we should at least buy something new for you to wear underneath that old dress."

"It's not an old dress!" Annie exclaimed, playfully slapping her friends arm.

"I'm just teasing you!" Sarah smirked. "But I still think Spencer would appreciate to see you in that red lace ensemble I saw the other day... The lingerie shop is right around the corner." she added with a wink.

"Do you ever have anything else on your mind?" Annie laughed. "But you know what, I think for once you might actually be right..."

* * *

Spencers hand was just reaching for his cup again when Morgan and Emily walked into the room.

"Found anything yet kid?" Derek asked.

Spencer shook his head, a frustrated look on his face. "Nothing. There are plenty of assault cases here but not one of them sounds like it could be our unsub. What about you?"

Emily let out a deep sigh. She and Morgan had visited the families of the victims again, talking to them once more to see if they had missed anything. But so far there seemed to be nothing that could give them any clues as to why they were chosen by the unsub.

"Nada." she replied. "According to the families none of them were prone to picking fights or getting into trouble."

"They were all physically fit and worked out regulary." Morgan said. "And Steve and Brian were in the wrestling team of their high schools when they were younger."

"So they must have put up quite the fight." Spencer mused, biting his lip. "I guess this means our unsub must be even more skilled than we originally thought if he managed to overpower them."

"Any news from Hotch, JJ and Rossi?" Emily asked.

Their unit chief and Dave had gone to the morgue to look at the latest body that had been found. Hotch had asked JJ to join them to talk to the victim's family they would meet there. They all knew that not only the fact that she was a woman but also her warm nature usually comforted the relatives of the deceased. She also had a talent for getting family members to open up about any intimate details or secrets.

Emily's question was answered when the three strode into the room, JJ shaking her head.

"Nothing on our end." she said, sitting down next to Spencer.

"Morgan, call Garcia and see if she managed to dig up something from our victim's past." Hotch said as he faced the other agent. "Maybe there is some connection we've missed."

Derek quickly took his cell phone out of his pocket and hit speed dial.

"Hello my chocolate thunder! How can I be of service, you know I'm always ready for you!" the bubbly blonde's voice sounded through the room.

"Hey baby girl, you're on speaker." Morgan chuckled.

There was a little pause. "Oh, hi my babies."

"Hi Garcia." Rossi smiled. "Did you find anything that connects our victims?"

"I dug through college and job records, medical files. And came up with nothing. They didn't even work out at the same gym." Penelope replied, her voice apologetic. "But I did find something else!" she added, her voice cheery again.

"What is it?" JJ asked.

"Well, when I couldn't find any connection between the victims I thought I'd dig into their pasts a bit. You know how Steve Molton's parents insisted what a great guy he was? President of the student comittee in college, top of his class, involved in charity work? Well, it all sounded a little too perfect."

"Garcia, get to the point." Hotch sighed impatiently, rolling his eyes at his teammates.

"Sorry, i started to sound a bit like Reid there." Penelope chuckled. "Anyways, turns out he wasn't always such a goody two-shoes. When he was a senior in high school he and some of his friends used to to be big bullies. Their victims were the not-so popular kids in school. Math club nerds, marching band members, you know the type."

Morgan shot a look at Reid. Everyone knew their resident genius had had a hard time in high school. He had been much younger than the people in his class and the fact that he was smarter than all of his classmates combined had made his school years hard.

"Yeah, we know..." Spencer grimaced, remembering those bad times. It had been the wors time of his life. He quickly shook the feeling as his thoughts jumped to Annie. His wonderful Annie. He was in a different place now, he knew it would make some of his former high school bullies eye's pop out if they saw what kind of girl he was dating now. The thought made him smile and he chuckled to himself.

"But how does that help us with our case?" Emily interrupted his thoughts as she adressed Penelope.

"Well, turns out it didn't end with the bullying. Steve and his best friend actually beat up a guy so bad he had to be taken to the hospital..." Garcia explained. "They were arrested but got off with community service."

"Garcia, those are juvenile records. They are sealed." Hotch said sternly.

"Well, seeing as I didn't get anywhere i thought I might dig a little deeper and put some of my tricks to use..." Penelope replied hesistantly.

Hotch rolled his eyes again. "Who was the other assailant?" he asked.

"Steve's best friend back in high school, a guy named Joey Stine." Garcia volunteered. "And to make a long story short, he hasn't cleaned up as nicely as Steve. College dropout, some minor offenses after that, including assaults. He currently works in an auto repair shop in Baltimore."

"Steve was the first victim. You think seeing him suceed could have been the trigger?" Emily asked.

"Maybe. All the other victims were quite successful as well. Good looking, well-paid jobs." Rossi mused, stroking his beard.

"Garcia, send his work and home adress to our phones." Hotch instructed. "Reid, Emily, Morgan, you go to his home adress. JJ, Rossi and me will check out the auto repair shop..."

* * *

**As always, don't forget to leave a review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello my lovely readers!**

**Thank you all so much for all your great reviews and of course welcome to all new followers/favorites! I seriously LOVE you all, you always make my day! **

**So here's another chapter for you all!**

**I'm practically already on my way to a little beach vacation so I won't be able to update for some time! But I'll get to the next chapter as soon as I'm back! And I promise you it'll be worth the wait! ;-)  
**

**Enjoy!**

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's! **

* * *

**Chapter 13**

"Clear!" Morgan's voice sounded from the back of the house.

Spencer looked at Emily as they both dropped their guns, putting them back in the holster. Looking up he saw Morgan stride into the room.

"He's not here." Emily stated the obvious.

"We should take a look around and wait for Hotch to contact us. Maybe they had more luck." Morgan decided. "I'll take the bedroom, you two cover the living room and kitchen."

Spencer nodded his head as he took a step towards the cabinet by the window, opening the first drawer. "He obviously doesn't have the means to keep his victims here. There's no basement and the location isn't remote enough. Neighbours would have noticed if he had brought someone here."

"Well, let's get to work, maybe we'll find something about where he keeps his victims. I'll call Garcia to see if she can find out if there's a place he could take them." Emily agreed.

Spencer let his gaze glide through the room. The worn-out furniture clearly showed that their unsub wasn't in the best financial situation. Which wasn't an excuse for the state the house was in, a layer of dust covering the surfaces. A couple of empty bottles of cheap vodka stood on the small coffee table.

"Seems like our guy likes to drink..." Emily voiced his thoughts as she got off the phone with Penelope.

"Well, alcoholism and violence are connected." Spencer mumbled under his breath, closing the drawer shut.

They had continued to search the room for any clues to Joey Stine's whereabouts when Morgan joined them, his phone pressed to his ear.

"Alright Hotch, we'll be done here in a minute and then be on our way to the victim."

"Victim?" Spencer raised his eyebrows at the other agent.

"Joey wasn't at his workplace either. Hotch has issued an APB, someone is bound to regognize this guy sooner or later." he informed them. " But Garcia has gone over the case report of the beating he and Steve dished out in high school again. She said they were a whole group of bullies. So she wants us to go and talk to the geek they beat up in high school. Maybe he can tell us who else was part of that group. They might be targeted next."

Spencer shot Morgan a look. "Geek?"

Derek gave a light chuckle. "Don't get all worked up kid. As far as I know being a nerd seems to be quite hip nowadays."

Spencer rolled his eyes at Emily and slightly shook his head.

"Enough bantering boys, we have work to do." she laughed.

* * *

Annie let out a deep sigh as she kicked off her shoes, closing the door of their apartment behind her. It had definitely not been the best idea to wear heels for a shopping trip. Dumping the bags on the armchair in the corner, she hung up her coat and placed her purse on kitchen counter and went over to the fridge to pour herself a glass of water.

She had thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. She chuckled to herself as she glanced over to the armchair and she thought about the contents of one particular bag. Sarah had basically dragged her into the lingerie shop, insisting her and Spence's one-year anniversary was an occasion to spice things up a little. She still couldn't believe her friend had actually convinced her to get something that enticing...

Shaking her head in amusement she walked over to the couch and grabbed her book from the coffee table. She quickly grabbed the soft green blanket and covered herself with it, her legs tucked under her bottom. It was still only late afternoon and she was determined to make the best of it and try to relax, knowing there was another busy day ahead of her tomorrow.

* * *

She rolled her eyes at herself an hour later as she rinsed some fresh plums in the sink. So much for curling up with a book and relaxing. But she hadn't been able to focus on the story. Her thoughts had kept drifting to Spence. She hadn't heard from him all day except for a short text after lunch telling her he'd be calling her as soon as he found the time. Knowing it was no use to try and get back into the stoyline, he had snapped the book shut. So she had decided to do the one thing that might help her relax. Baking.

Draining the fruit she had just washed, she poured it into a small bowl and turned back to the cake batter she had started preparing. Picking up the spatula she gently folded in the fluffy egg whites. But her thoughts wandered to Spence as she started to fill the baking tray on the kitchen counter.

She just didn't now what it was with this case. She was always worried and knowing that, Spence regularly let her know he was alright but this time she found it especially hard. Although him coming home last night had relaxed her and she couldn't help but smile when she thought back to last night..

_She had already fallen asleep when he had come home and slipped under the covers next to her, wrapping his arms around her body. Feeling his warm body against hers she woke up and snuggled up to him._

_"You're home." she whispered as she turnd around and nuzzled his neck._

_"Shhh, go back to sleep." Spencer whispered back with a smile, his hand gently stroking her hair._

_"Not without a goodnight kiss." she smiled, breathing in his scent. _

_Spencer gave a light chuckle as he placed his lips on hers, his other hand sliding down her back in a gentle caress. _

_Annie felt her heart flutter at his touch and pressed herself closer to him, her fingers entangled in his soft hair she loved so much. Nothing in the world would ever feel as good as his body close to hers, his arms wrapped around her. Those were the moments she wished they could just stay like this forever, forgetting the world outside, their bodies entangled in a perfect fit. She slightly parted her lips to gain him entry and let out a small moan when his tongue found hers. _

_"Thought you were sleeping." he mumbled into her mouth as her hand slid under his shirt, gently stroking his abs. _

_"Guess I'm not tired anymore." she giggled, pushing him on his back, her upper body resting on his. _

_Spencer sucked in his breath when he felt her hand glide down his belly towards the waistline of his boxers. _

_"Seems like it." he laughed, cupping her cheek with his hand, his other hand slowly pulling down the straps of her tank top, sending shivers down her spine..._

Annie jumped in surprise at the sound of the spatula crashing down to floor. She chuckled and shook her head. Seemed like baking really did take her mind of the case...

She quickly picked up the item and dropped it in the sink. Opening the lid of the oven she popped in the baking tray and started to rinse the dirty plastic bowl.

She grabbed her purse and retrieved her phone, hoping for a message from Spence. Glancing at the screen she felt her heart drop when she found there was none. She sighed in frustration. For a moment she toyed with the idea of texting him but quickly abandoned it. She knew it would only distract him from his work, knowing that she was worrying again. He needed to focus on the case. She needed him to get back to her soon. And safe.

Oh how she hoped he would be safe...

* * *

"Yes?" the male voice sounded timid.

Spencer looked up from the spot on the porch he had been staring at to see the face belonging to that voice. A young man, quite tall with black-rimmed glasses looked out at them through the gap in the door, the safety chain preventing it from opening further.

Morgan took of his sunglasses as he looked at the man. "Corey Donovan?"

The young man nodded and Morgan flashed his FBI badge, Spencer and Reid following his lead.

"Hi Mr. Donovan. I'm Agent Morgan, with the FBI. These are Agent Prentiss and Dr. Reid." he introduced himself. "We have a few questions regarding Joey Stines."

Spencer saw the man flinch at the mention of their unsub's name.

"May we come in?" Emily asked with a smile.

Mr. Donovan nodded and the door closed briefly as he unlocked the door chain. As it opened again they saw him step back.

"What exactly is this about? I haven't been in contact with Joey since high school..." he asked as he lead them into a nicely furnished living room.

"You might have heard about the latest killings of young men Mr. Donovan? Your name popped up in our investigation, Joey assaulted you in high school?" Spencer asked.

The young man gave a little snort. "He sure did..."

"Would you mind if we sat down? We'll try not to take up too much of your time." Morgan inquired.

Corey nodded and motioned for them to sit down on the couch. "May I offer you something to drink?"

Emily nodded her head. "Just water is fine, thank you." she replied with another friendly smile.

As the young man left the room for the adjoining kitchen she turned to her colleagues. "He seems a bit shy."

Morgan gave her a small nod. "Well, I guess not every nerd can clean up as nicely as pretty boy over here with his hot girlfriend and all." he chuckled.

"Morgan..." Spencer gave him an irritated look but the corners of his mouth twitched into a smile.

Emily was just about to say something when she was interrupted by her phone ringing. She quickly pulled it out of the pocket of her black blazer.

"Hi Hotch, what's up?"

Derek and Spencer watched as she listened to their unit chief when she suddenly jumped up from her seat.

"Yeah, we're on it."

Both men looked at her expectantly as she hung up.

"Joey Stine was just seen less than a mile from here. Hotch thinks he might be after Corey." she explained, nodding her head towards the kitchen. "He might be escalating..."

"Is everything alright?"

They all turned around when Corey Donovan entered the kitchen again, his face turned into a frown.

"Mr. Donovan, we're afraid but you might be in danger." Morgan replied. "Joey is a suspect in our murder investigation and we think he's on his way over here."

"Wha.. Wha.. What?" Corey stammered, his eyes wide.

"Where's Hotch now?" Spencer asked, ignoring the panicked look on the man's face.

"They're on their way, as well as police backup." Emily replied. "But it'll take a while for them to get here."

"Alright." Morgan exclaimed. "Reid, you stay with him." he motioned towards Corey Donovan. "Emily and I will check outside."

Spencer nodded as he followed his two colleagues to the front door, closing it behind them and locking it.

* * *

Annie smiled to herself as she glanced up the display of the elevator, waiting to reach the right floor. After cleaning up the kitchen she had been struck by a sudden idea. She had quickly placed the still warm cake on a large plate and grabbed her car keys and purse. She knew a freshly baked dose of sugar would be just what her second-favorite team member needed on one of those long days in her bat cave.

Stepping into the hallway she strode towards Penelope's office when she saw a familiar face appear in front of her.

"Annie! Hi!"

Annie stopped in her tracks and smiled. "Hi Anderson! How are you?" she greeted the young agent by his last name as everyone did.

"Good, you?" he replied. "Didn't know the team was back yet."

"They're not. Just providing a certain technical analyst with something sweet." she winked.

"Ah, don't tell me that is one of your cakes. Any chance of me getting some of that?"

Annie let out a chuckle. "Sure, just stop by later, I'm sure she can spare a slice."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Anderson laughed. "Well, I gotta run. See you later!" he gave her a little wave.

Annie waved back and quickly took the few more steps towards Penelope's office. Knocking on the door and couldn't hold back a laugh when she heard the bubbly blonde's voice.

"Enter if you dare!"

Inside, she was met with the sight of her friend tapping away on her keyboard.

"Guess who's here?"

Penelope spun around at Annie's voice and her lips spread into a wide grin when she caught sight of her. "Sweetie!" she exclaimed, jumping up and embracing her in a hug.

Pulling away from her, Garcia's eyes fell upon the plate covered with a plastic hood. "Is that what I think it is?" she asked, her eyes lighting up.

Annie nodded her head. "Plum cake fresh out of the oven. Thought you could use some sugar."

"I knew there was something in it for me when I set you up with Reid." Garcia chuckled, taking the plate from her and lifting the lid.

"How are you sweet cheeks?" she asked as she grabbed a slice and took a large bite, motioning for Annie to sit down on one of the spare chairs.

Annie shrugged off her coat and also took a slice before plumping down on the offered seat.

"Great." she mumbled and felt Penelope's eyes on her.

"Aw honey, don't try and fool me. I know you're worrying." she smiled. "But there's no need, our babies are fine or I would've heard otherwise."

Annie let out a deep breath and felt herself relax. Somehow being here at the Bureau with Penelope made her feel so much better, closer to Spence and the investigation.

"So what did you do today?" Garcia asked, grabbing another slice and winking at Annie. "I mean, other than baking that little piece of heaven right here?"

* * *

Half an hour later Penelope had truly succeeded in taking Annie's mind off things. Deciding she needed a little break anyways they had gone over to the little kitchen to get some coffee. They had run into Anderson again who miraculously managed to coax Penelope into giving him a slice of cake.

After joining them in Garcia's bat cave for a couple of minutes he had rushed off to work again, leaving the two women to chat some more.

"Isn't your big anniversary coming up?" Garcia asked.

Annie nodded her head and Penelope smiled as she saw her friend's face light up.

"Yes, in three weeks." she smiled.

They were suddenly interrupted by the ringing phone on Garcia's cluttered desk. The blonde swooshed her chair towards it and turned her head to Annie after she had glanced at the screen.

"It's Derek. I'll put it on speaker, maybe you can say hello to your lover boy." she winked and pressed the button. "Hello stud muffin, I was just thinking of you." she answered in a sultry voice.

Annie chuckled and slightly shook her head at her friends antics. But her heart skipped a beat when she heard Derek through the speaker, the tone of his voice grave.

"No time for that now baby girl.."

Annie watched as Penelope's face fell and she quickly jumped up from her seat, rushing to stand beside her.

"Anything wrong Morgan?" Garcia asked in a low voice.

And Annie felt her heart stop, her hands gripping the edge of the desk and her knees go weak when she heard his voice again.

"Garcia.. it's Reid... The unsub has him..."

* * *

**Sooo sorry I have to leave you with a little cliffhanger! **

**And don't forget to leave a review, even if you haven't until now drop me a few lines, they are what keeps us writers going! :D**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello everyone! **

**You all are seriously the BEST readers in the world! I love all your reviews (especially the song one from a guest haha) and appreciate every single one!  
**

**So I came home from my holidy late last night, but lucky for you I had a 7 hour (!) layover on my flight back and wrote a new chapter! I just couldn't keep you waiting too long!  
**

**So enjoy!  
**

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's! **

* * *

**Chapter 14**

"Garcia.. it's Reid... The unsub has him..."

Penelope felt her face drain of all colour at Derek's words and she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. Quickly turning her head up to Annie's equally white face she saw her friend's lip tremble. For a moment time seemed to stand still before the room was filled by the sound of an excrutiating sob escaping Annie's mouth that shook Gacia right to her core. And then everything happened really fast. Penelope watched in horror as her friend's legs gave in and she dropped to her knees, her hand covering her mouth and muffling the sound.

For a second Annie's brain felt completely empty as she tried to wrap her mind around what she had just heard. And then it went into overdrive at the mental images overtaking her thoughts. And then there was that sound, the most dreadful sound she had ever heard. And it took her a second to realize that it came from the back of her own throat. She only faintly felt a sharp pain in her knees as she went down and her hand flew up to clasp her mouth, trying to containt he hysteric sobs.

"Garcia?" Derek's loud voice came from the speaker. "What was that? What's happening? Penelope!" he yelled when he didn't get a reply.

The technical analyst snapped out of her trance-like state as she wrapped her arms around a trembling Annie, steadying her from falling further. Her head snapped around to the monitor.

"It's Annie, Morgan, she's here and you were on speaker!" she yelled towards the phone.

A low groan sounded through the line. "Oh shit..." he cursed. "Listen baby girl, get someone to take care of her, I need you to try and track Reid's location through his phone. Call me back."

And with a clicking sound the call ended. Garcia turned her head again to look down on the sobbing girl in her arms whose body was now shaking violently. As much as her own heart hurt at the thought of Reid in the unsub's hands, memories of Tobias Hankel flashing through her mind, she knew she needed to pull herself together. For Reid's sake and for Annie's.

Annie felt like the only thing that kept her from completely breaking down was the firm grasp of Penelope's arms around he shoulders. Her heart physically hurt as it hammered in her chest and she was overcome by waves of nausea. And the only thing she was capable of in between sobs was chanting the name of the man she loved: "Spence... Spence... Spence..."

* * *

Derek Morgan felt like throwing his phone to the floor. Turning around to face the rest of the team he let out a frustrated sigh as looked into their faces. Everyone was dealing with this differently. Hotch's facial expressions were even more serious than normally and seemed to be carved in stone. By the tremble in her lip Derek could see JJ was struggling to keep her emotions at bay while Emily put on a tough exterior. Rossi's brows were turned into a frown that revealed his worry.

"Damn it!" Morgan cursed angrily.

"What's up?" Hotch asked him.

"Garcia put me on speaker. And Annie was there..." Derek breathed out.

"Oh shit..." JJ groaned and immediately felt everyone looking at her, obviously surprised at her use of foul language. She almost never swore but at times like these she couldn't help it. She didn't even need to imagine how Annie must feel, she knew exactly what she was going through. Thinking back to that fateful day of the bank robbery when she had almost lost Will... She looked over at Hotch, knowing he of all people would know how devastated Annie must feel.

"I should have noticed Donovan was our unsub..." Morgan growled.

"I was there too and didn't notice either Derek. We can't blame ourselves." Emily said, rubbing his shoulder.

"She's right. We need to focus now, find out where he could have taken Reid." Rossi agreed.

"Garcia's gonna call me back as soon as she has someone taking care of Annie. Let's hope she'll be able to track his phone, get a location." Derek replied.

"Guys, I know this is hard for all of us, I know every one of you is worried about Reid. And Annie. But we need to focus now, I need everyone at the top of their game, understood?" Hotch interrupted, trying to keep his voice positive.

The thought of loosing Reid not only as a team member but as a friend was almost too much to stand for Aaron. And he could almost see Annie's lovely face stained of tears as she worried for the man she loved. Losing Hailey had been the hardest thing he ever had to go through and on some days he still struggled. He vowed to himself right then and there that he wouldn't let Annie go through the same anguish as he had. In the past year she had become one of their family. It still amazed him how she had transformed Reid from the lonely, awkward boy into a more self-confident, and most importantly, happy young man. She had also gotten close to Jack, her and Reid inviting him to come along to their outings with Henry. She had even babysat him on occasion when he was away on a case and his sister in law hadn't been available. She had not only captured the teams affections, but also his son's, making her another important female figure in his life. They could not, no, they would not accept anything other than getting Reid out of there and back home safely to Annie.

"Ok, let's do this." he announced, pulling himself out of his train of thought. "Morgan, you call Garcia again, we need a location, and we need it fast. Make her dig up everything about Donovan she can find. Emily, JJ, you talk to Stines, I want to know what kind of kid Donovan was in high school, maybe we'll get somemthing from him that will help us."

* * *

Annie's body was still trembling as she sat in her chair in Garcia's office, Anderson's hand placed on hers as he sat beside her. She hadn't even noticed him come in but she figured Penelope must have called him. At least the sobbing had stopped but silent tears were still running down her cheeks. Garcia was typing away on her keyboard, shooting her worried looks every couple of minutes.

Slowly the fog that had clouded her mind began to lift, allowing her to think more clearly. But she wasn't sure if that was even a good thing. It seemed to worsen the images in her head. Before he left this morning, Spence had just told her that the case involved young men beaten up so badly they died. But he had given her no further details and the not knowing was what drove her imagination wild. What would he do to Spence? She didn't even know if he was still alive. The thought alone was enough to send her heartbeat and breathing racing again, and she felt another sob fight its way up throught he lump in her throat. She pressed her hand back to her mouth, her eyes filling with heavy tears again.

"Annie..." she heard Anderson whisper beside her as he squeezed her free hand. "Why don't we go outside and get you some water? I promise you, he'll be alright."

She turned her head to look at the young agent. "How do you know that? You don't know what he might be going through right now!" she yelled, surprising herself with the strenght and volume of her voice. "And I'm not going anywhere, I'm staying right here."

"Sweetie, relax." Gacia cooed from her desk. "He's just trying to help."

Annie shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sorry. It's just, there's nothing I can do... He's all alone with... with that guy and... what if he's already..." she broke off, another full-blown sob preventing her from saying the unthinkable.

"Honey, you can't let yourself think that way!" Penelope called from her place by the desk. "He's alive and we'll do everything we can to get our boy, your boy, back safely. But don't you think it would be better if you went outside, maybe get some fresh air?"

Annie determinedly shook her head. There was no way she would leave this room, not before she knew Spence was safe. If he would come out of this safe...

"No way Garcia, I am not leaving. I know you're trying to protect me but I'm having none of it. I am staying right here and I want to know everything that's going on." she insisted. "And don't you try and hide any bad news from me!"

Penelope sighed deeply. "Alright sweetie. Anderson will stay with you and if you need anything you tell him, ok?" she asked, noticing the young agent give her a serious nod.

"The only thing I need is Spence back..." Annie whispered, her voice cracking again.

And Penelope was sure her heart broke a little when she saw the look in her friend's red and puffy eyes, full of fear, full of sadness and so full of love. Jumping up she quickly took the two steps towards her and wrapped her arms around Annie.

"We'll get him back honey, I promise you we'll get him back..."

* * *

The first thing Spencer felt as he started to regain conciousness was the throbbing pain inside his head. As his eyelids flutterred open he immediately squinnied them again, a bright light blinding him. His hands flew up to shield his eyes from the brightness and a groan escaped his lips at the movement. His hand shot out in search for Annie's warm body next to him but when his fingers reached nothing he started to realize that he was not in his bed. And he had not lain down with a headache. He wasn't even in their apartment.

But where was he? As he propped himself up to a sitting position he felt cold concrete under his palm. Slowly becoming accustomed to the light he willed himself to think, again asking himself where the hell he was. And what was that noise?

As his vision improved, he slowly took in the room, tryin to ignore the sharp pounding in his temples. The room was pretty dark, except for the blazing lamp right above him. Slowly his brain started to focus again and he noticed the pipes running along the ceiling. Following their trail his gaze fell upon a large boiler, answering his earlier question about the noise.

His hand suddenly shot to his holster as the realisation he was probably in danger hit him, only to find it empty. Running his fingers through his hair his memory slowly came back. The case, he had been in Corey's house with Morgan and Emily when they went outside to look for Joey Stine...

_After locking the door behind the other agents, Spencer turned around, facing Corey Donovan again. _

_"Don't worry, my colleagues are out there. They'll make sure Joey doesn't get far." he assured the young man. _

_Corey slightly nodded his head, the expression on his face nervous. "Would you... would you excuse me for a second, I really need to use the bathroom."  
_

_Spencer gave him a soft smile, understanding how a situation like this might have an effect on his bladder. "Sure but don't go near the windows and be quick."  
_

_As the other man left the room, Spencer walked up to the bookshelves lining the wall opposite the couch. His eyes scanned the books, giving an approving nod at the scientific works. His gaze suddenly dropped to the next shelve and his eyebrows furrowed as he read the titles. _

_"Mixed Martial Arts", "The Way of the Fight", "The Little Black Book about Violence: What every young man needs to know about fighting"..._

_That's when it dawned on him... The unsub wasn't Joey Stine...  
_

_And the next thing he remembered was blackness._

Spencer felt his heartbeat quicken when his thoughts were interrupted by a creaking door opening. He snapped his head up and looked in the direction the sound was coming from. It was hard to make out the figure stepping into the room but he knew exactly who it was. And his conclusion was confirmed when he heard Corey Donovan's grave voice

"I see you're awake Dr. Reid... Ready to have some fun?"

* * *

**And of course another lovely cliffhanger for you! ;) Review, review, review and I'll update faster than you can say "unsub". :D **


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello my lovely readers! **

**As promised, another chapter for you. Thank you all for the reviews! I know you all love/hate the cliffhangers and it is just to tempting to write them! I'm a sucker for happy endings so trust me on this one! :D I love you all! **

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's! **

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Spencer tried to ignore the numbing pain in his head as Corey Donovan walked towards him. He couldn't show him weakness, he needed to be strong. The team should have figured out by now that Donovan was the unsub and were looking for him. Corey would probably try and do the same thing with him that he did with the victims. Beat him to death. And there was no way he was going to let that happen. He had to keep his promise to Annie and get back safely to her. Annie... he wondered if she already knew what had happened or if the team would try and get him out of here without having to send her into a state of panic. He knew how Donovan had taken out men much stronger than him. Maybe he could engage him in conversation and buy himself some time. He wasn't even afraid of the pain he might have to endure. All he could think about was Annie and what it would do to her if he didn't survive this. He had to stay alive, he had to fight. For his life. For Annie. For them.

He scrambled to his feet as Donovan reached him, an evil smile playing on the man's lips. Maybe he would be able to get through to him by talking about their shared experience off bullying.

Spencer took a deep breath as he looked at the man. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a sudden blow to his head as Corey punched his jaw, sending him flying back onto the floor. His head spinning, he propped himself up on one hand and his tongue licked his lips, the metallic taste telling him he was bleeding. Using his other hand he wiped his mouth and got up again, this time bracing himself for another attack.

"Corey, you don't need to do this. You and me, we're alike, I know what you've been through and I can see your pain." he tried to calm the other man down, licking more blood from his lips.

But Corey took another step towards him, his hands clenched into fists. "I figured you were just as much of an outcast as I was when you were younger." he growled. "And you still are. But I'm not. I've changed. I've learned to fight. And I'll make sure everyone knows it."

Spencer felt a shiver run down his spine at the look in Corey's eyes. And that's when he knew there was no use in talking to him. He would have to fight. Fight for his life.

* * *

Morgan practically jumped from his seat on the front porch of Corey Donovan's house when his phone rang in his pocket. And before he knew it the rest of the team was gathered around him, eagerly awaiting any news as to where Donovan could have taken Spencer.

"Baby Girl? You're on speaker." Derek answered his phone. "Please tell me you got something?"

"I got nothing my love, I'm sorry. Corey Donovan has no other property than the house he lives in, which he bought just 2 years ago. I digged deep but I can find no clue to where he could have taken Reid..." Garcia's voice sounded through the speakers of the phone.

Emily looked up at the others, her own disappointment mirrored in the faces of her friends and teammates. "How is Annie holding up?" she asked.

"Not good honey, not good." Garcia's voice dropped to a whisper. "Guys, she totally broke down. It's heartwrenching... I got Anderson to sit beside her, she's still here, she refuses to leave. She's calmed down a bit but she's still crying..."

"Well, it's normal under the circumstances..." JJ remarked with a deep sigh.

"We need to find Reid! We just need to find him..." Penelope replied, her voice cracking. "There has to be something we can do, I'll do another search, maybe I've missed something."

"Alright Garcia, let us know if you find anything." Rossi answered. "We didn't get anything from Stines, he hasn't talked to Corey since High School. We'll keep you updated."

"Ok Rossi, thanks. I'll talk to you later..."

"Penelope, wait!" JJ's head snapped up as she grabbed the phone from Morgan. "Let me talk to Annie ok?"

"Um, yeah, sure. I'll patch you through to her phone, ok?"

JJ took a few steps away from the group and turned off the speaker. Holding the phone to her head she waited.

"JJ?" the familiar voice on the other end was barely a whisper and JJ's heart gave a tug at the pain she could hear.

"Annie sweetie..." was all she could get out, feeling her own lips tremble. Pulling herself together, she continued. "Honey, I know this is hard and I wish you wouldn't have to go through that right now but I promise you, we will get Spence out of there."

All she could hear for a minute was the sound of Annie's fitful breathing.

"JJ..." Annie whispered. "I... I don't know what to do... what if..." she broke off, the muffled sounds telling JJ she was crying again.

JJ wiped a tear from her watery eye before she replied, willing her voice to be steady. "I know you're strong honey, you're so much stronger than you might think right now and Spencer is too. He'll get through this and you will too. We will get him back to you, don't ever doubt that, ok?"

"Oh JJ, please do..." Annie sobbed. "Please, get him back..."

* * *

Annie wiped her hand across her cheeks, trying to dry the tears that had been spilling from her eyes ever since that dreaded phone call from Derek. Her other hand still clutched her phone, her knuckles turning white. Despite her pain she still appreciated JJ's words. Roaming her purse that sat on the floor she pulled out a tissue and blew her nose.

Anderson grabbed her hand again and gave it a tight squeeze. As she looked up he gave her a crooked smile.

"Thanks." she mouthed silently, focusing her attention back on Penelope who was furiously typing on her keyboard in the search for anything that could lead them to a location.

"Got anything yet Pen?" Annie managed to choke out.

"Nothing yet sweetie, but I'm trying. There has to be some place that is important to that guy and maybe he's taken Reid there. Don't worry, I'll find it, and if I have to search the entire net for it." the technical analyst replied.

Annie blew her nose again, fresh tears running down her cheeks. "Why... why would anyone do that to him? Spence hasn't done anything to this guy." she asked, turning her head to Anderson.

"No, he hasn't. But this guy isn't thinking rationally Annie. He's been bullied all his life, all through high school, and this is his revenge." he replied with a sigh. "Maybe Reid is able to get through to him by telling him they share the same past." Anderson continued, desperately trying to give the young woman in front of him even a glimmer of hope.

Annie nodded her head. "He has gone through some of the same stuff in high school, he doesn't like to talk about it and says it's in his past but I know it sometimes still bothers him." she mumbled. "He even hates going to his old high school as it brings up all those memories."

"What did you say?" Garcia's voice piped up as she spun around in her chair.

Annie gave her a confused look, her eyes questioning. "I... I said Spence hates going to his old high school. It just reminds him of all the bullying." she stammered.

Garcia spun her chair again, quickly pressing the speed dial on her phone before attacking the keyboard again.

"What... what is it Pen?" Annie called out as she jumped up, her heartbeat racing again.

"You might have just gotten us a breakthrough here sweetie." Garcia replied just as Hotch picked up his phone and his voice sounded through the room.

"Garcia?"

"Yeah, hi. Listen, I'm looking it up as we speak, it will just take me a moment... Ahhh, there it is. Damn it, why didn't we think of that earlier?" Penelope replied.

"What is it?" Hotch asked urgently.

"Could Corey's old high school be a place of importance for him?" Penelope asked. "Cause it was shut down 5 years ago and has been abandonded ever since. Plenty of room to hold someone captive if you ask me."

"Good work Garcia. Send us the address, we're on our way."

Annie walked up to her blonde friend and placed a shaking hand on her shoulder. Penelope looked up and gave her a soft look. Annie felt her knees shake again as she felt Garcia gently wrap her arms around her.

"You might just have saved your man's life there sweetie." Penelope said softly.

Fresh tears spilled from Annie's eyes as she grabbed her friend's hand. "Oh please... please let him be alright." she whispered.

* * *

Spencer rubbed his knuckles and could already see them turn red as he looked up again and saw Corey stumble backwards. He had never hit someone in the face, Morgan was usually the one to tackle down unsubs in order to overpower them and save a victim. He wasn't the violent type but every instinct told him if he didn't fight back he would not get out of this alive.

When Tobias Hankel had kidnapped and tortured him he had been restrained, leaving him at the mercy of one of the man's multiple personalities. Back then he had almost given up, almost accepted the fact that he would die in that cabin, with the smell of burnt fish bowels in his nose.

But back then he had been different. He had been just a boy, fresh out of the academy. His job had been his life and while he never had any desire to die, in those hours he had maken peace with it, accepting his fate.

But now he could fight back. He needed to fight back. If not for his sake, for Annie's. His life had meaning now, she had brought light into it. She had shown him what true love was and he couldn't bear the thought of her hurting. Just the thought of her made his heart beat faster and gave him strength.

"I have to admit, I didn't think you'd have it in you." Corey's snarl interrupted his thoughts and he saw the young man approach him again, the look in his eyes more determined than before.

Spencer raised his arms in defense as he saw Corey's fist shoot out again. He managed to cushion the blow that hit his jaw again and tried to ignore the sharp pain shooting up to his temple. Raising his right hand he hit back, aiming at the other man's face.

Spencer didn't know how long they had been fighting, all he knew was that his whole body screamed in pain. But somehow he managed to stay on his feet, his vision blurred from the swelling in his left eye. His shirt had ripped and he could already feel the bruising on his upper body. His strength was lessening by the second and he knew he wouldn't hold out much longer.

"So you think you can beat me Dr. Reid?" Corey growled and licked his bloody lips as he delivered another painful blow to his face. "No one can beat me. Not. Ever. Again." he yelled, his fist crashing into Spencer with every word.

Suddenly the other man grabbed him at the collar of his shirt and yanked him towards him. "No one." he howled and Spencer could feel his spit on his face.

That's when another hard blow hit him and he felt himself stumble backwards, black dots in front of his eyes. He felt a stinging pain in his back as he hit a sharp object behind him and bounced back, falling forward.

And as his face hit the floor, the last image in his mind was Annie's face smiling at him before everything turned black...

* * *

**I know, I know, ANOTHER cliffhanger! Please don't hate me! ;-) Don't forget to leave a review and the next chapter will be up soon! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello best readers in the world! **

**Thank you for all your reviews and for all the new follows/favorites! I know you're all anxiously waiting to see what happens next, so here's another chapter for you to enjoy! **

**I love you all! Have a great weekend!  
**

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's!**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Emily lopked over to Morgan to her left, grasping her gun firmly in both hands, as they crept along the abandoned corridor of Silveroak High School. A glance backwards told her the rest of the team was right behind them, the only thing lighting up the dark were their flashlights. She felt her heart thump in her chest as they heard a muffled sound in the distance.

"I think it came from over there." she whispered, nodding towards a crossing hallway.

They picked up their pace and Emily hoped the noise meant they wouldn't be too late. She couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to the youngest member of their team. Not after everything they had been through. It almost bordered on ridiculousness what the team had had to endure in the past years. And sometimes it seemed that Reid had gotten the worst of it. They were not going to lose him, not now that he had finally found happiness.

Her eyes where still focused on the corridor in front of her when she suddenly thought about the time she had asked Reid if he had ever thought about making baby geniuses. He had acted quite flustered and she had chuckled when he had been saved by the bell. Back then it had only been a joking question. She had to admit all of them were guilty of having treated him like a child at times. But he had grown up so much since then, he had truly become a man. And she knew Annie had played a big part in it. Everyone could see how much in love the couple was and if anyone deserved to find his soulmate it was Reid. She knew if she asked him the same question again today he would not hesitate to reply with a yes.

Her head snapped towards Morgan as they heard a loud groan, the sound now closer to them. Looking back at the team they all nodded as each other as Morgan took the lead towards a metal door.

Derek carefully touched the handle and pushed it down. Finding it unlocked he opened it and raised his gun, the flashlight revealing a flight of concrete stairs. With one last glance back to the team he began his descent, his pace quickening when another groan pierced his ears...

* * *

Annie bit her lip as she pressed the button on her phone again, making sure she hadn't missed a call. She sighed again as she looked out the window of the black SUV, the pouring rain darkening the last minutes of sunlight. She felt Anderson's glance on her and turned her head.

"Why haven't they called yet?" she whispered.

Anderson lifted one hand from the steering wheel and squeezed hers. "It's been only half an hour, it'll take them some time to get there. I'm sure they'll call any minute."

Annie looked out the window again, her heart aching. After Garcia ended the call with the team she knew there was no way she would stay at the Bureau for a second longer. No matter what the outcome, she needed to be with Spence... So she had grabbed her bag and made a beeline for the door but Anderson and Penelope had pulled her back, refusing to let her drive in her condition. Which she had to admit was probably the most sensible thing they could do. Anderson had insisted on driving her to Baltimore while Garcia stayed behind at the office in case the team needed her.

So for the past 20 minutes she had been sitting in one of the trademark SUV's of the Bureau, stray tears still escaping her eyes, her lips forming silent prayers.

* * *

Morgan tried to keep his breathing low as his flashlight illuminated another heavy metal door at the bottom of the stairs. One last look over his shoulder confirmed the rest of the team was right behind him. As his foot stepped on the last step, he heard another loud groan behind the door, followed by the sound of something crashing into metal. He rushed forward and kicked the door open, his gun firmly pointed forwarded.

"FBI, freeze!" he yelled as he ran down another set of stairs, his teammates right behind him.

The first thing he saw was Reid, lying face-down on the floor in the corner of the boiler room, not moving. His shirt was splattered with blood and Derek could see dried blood in his hairline. Shifting his gaze he saw Corey Dononvan as he picked up a metal tube and stepped towards Reid.

And that's when he snapped. With a few quick steps he reached the man who had taken his best friend. Not leaving him a chance to raise the object in his hands, Morgan forcefully brought his gun down on the man's face, sending him flying to the floor.

The next thing he knew he was above Corey, his now gun-less fist crashing down over and over again on the other man's face.

He felt two strong sets of arms pull him back and JJ's voice in the distance shouting. "We need a medic!"

Only now did he realize how his jaw was clenched in anger. Looking back over his head he saw Hotch and Rossi pull him away from Corey, who was lying unconscious beneath him.

"Morgan, let it go..." Rossie tried to soothe him.

Derek shook himself free of their grasp and stood up. "Alright, alright, let me go." he growled.

And then his gaze fell on Emily and JJ, who were both hunched over Reid. He stood frozen for a few moments before JJ looked up at him, her eyes watering.

"He's alive but he looks pretty beaten up." she stammered.

Morgan walked towards them and reached out his hand but was stopped in motion by Emily.

"We shouldn't move him, you don't want to do more damage than already has been done." she reminded him.

He silently nodded his head. "Where is that damn medic?" he yelled impatiently.

"We're here." he heard a voice from the door and saw two uniformed paramedics rush towards them. "Please step away, we got it from here."

Derek ran a hand throuh his non-existent hair as the two men started to stabilize Reid, who was still unconcious. Two more paramedics followed closely behind to take care of Corey.

Within minutes they had strapped Spencer onto a guerney and carried him outside, the team following them.

"Is he gonna make it?" Hotch asked the paramedic as they stepped outside, flinching as he once again took sight of Spencer's swollen face.

"He's breathing on his own but we can't say how bad his internal injuries are."

"I'll ride with him." JJ said as they heaved im into the ambulance. "Someone needs to call Annie." she added as she stepped into the back of the vehicle.

"I'll do it." Rossi volunteered. "What hospital are you taking him to?" he asked.

"John Hopkins." the paramedic said before shutting the doors and the ambulance sped off.

Dave took a deep breath as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He dialled and put it to his ear, waiting for Annie to pick up.

"Dave?" her voice sounded panicky. "Please tell me you found him."

He could hear hear hold his breath. "He's alive bella, he's alive." he replied.

"How is he?" she whispered.

"They're taking him to the hospital now, he's unconscious and pretty beaten up..."

And the next thing he heard were Annie's excrutiating sobs...

* * *

Anderson had barely stopped the car when Annie threw open the door and jumped out, running towards the hospital entrance. After hearing Rossi's words she hadn't been able to hold back the tears. She was relieved he was alive but her heart hurt at the thought of her beloved Spencer in pain. Anderson had grabbed the phone from her and Rossi had told him what hospital they would take Spencer to. It had taken them another 15 minutes to get there but to her it had seemed like hours.

Her trembling hand holding her purse, she frantically looked around, not quite knowing where to turn. As a nurse passed her, she rushed after her.

"Excuse me!" she croaked. "I'm... I'm looking for my boyfriend, he's an FBI agent and was just brought here. Spencer Reid?"

The nurse turned to look at her, her eyes softening and Annie realized she probably looked a complete mess from all the crying.

"Admission is right over there." she replied. "I'll show you where..."

"Annie!" she heard the familiar chesty voice behind her and spun around.

Morgan felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of his best friend's girlfriend. The messy ponytail she often wore now looked completely disheveled. Her usually bright blue eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, smeared mascara framing them. But the worst thing was the look in those normally sparkling eyes. She looked completely and utterly devastated.

He quickly stepped towards her, pulling her into his open arms. He gently stroked her hair as she cried into his chest, her body trembling.

"Shh honey, shhh." he whispered and pressed a light kiss to her head.

"Where is he? I need to see him!" she replied, looking up at him.

"He's in surgery right now. They detected some internal bleeding...", he said, hating the way her eyes widened in horror.

"Is... is he gonna make it?" she croaked.

Derek let out a deep sigh. "I... I wish I could tell you yes but we'll have to wait and see..."

* * *

Two and half hours had passed since Derek had taken her up to the waiting room where Emily, Rossi, Hotch and JJ were sitting, the looks on their faces not hiding the worry. They had enveloped her in a bear hug before settling down for the long wait of any news from the OR. Anderson had kindly offered to drive back to D.C. once more to pick up Garcia who had immediately hugged Annie and before taking a seat beside her.

Annie looked up at Penelope whose hand was clutched in hers. The tension in the silent room was palpable. At least she had stopped crying, feeling there were no more tears left. Her eyes kept darting towards the door, desperately waiting for someone to tell them Spence would be alright. He had to be alright. She couldn't bear the thought of never looking into his eyes again, so full of love. Never again feeling the light touch of his hands on her skin. Never again feeling his soft lips on hers and losing herself in his kiss.

Fresh tears ran down her cheeks and she felt Penelope wrap her arms around her when suddenly the door opened. A shiver ran down her spine as she saw a doctor enter, his scrubs stained with blood. Spencer's blood. She felt nauseaus for a second before jumping up and rushing towards him.

Morgan was right behind her, his strong arms wrapped around her shoulder, steadying her on her shaky legs.

"Doctor?" he asked.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Walsh. We've managed to stop the internal bleeding and he's stable for now." the middle-aged man replied.

Annie felt relief flood through her and she let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"We had to put him in an artifial coma to give his body some much-needed rest." the doctor continued.

"Can... can we see him?" Annie croaked.

"Yes, one at a time."

"You go Annie, we'll wait out here." Morgan pushed her forward.

"There's something else you need to know." Dr. Walsh interrupted, the look on his face serious.

"What is it?" Hotch asked as he stepped up to them.

"We've performed an MRI and I'm afraid there seems to be some injury in the lumbar region of his spinal chord. That's where movement and sensation from the waist down is controlled, to put it into easy terms."

And at his next words Annie felt like her world came tumbling down.

"We have to wait until he wakes up and perform some more tests. But what I'm trying to say is... there's a chance Dr. Reid might be permanently paralyzed from the waist down..."

* * *

**Ahhhhhh, I know I am mean, please don't hate me! :D But review and I'll give you another chapter as soon as possible!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello! **

**Since we started the weekend with a new chapter I thought I'd give you another one for the end of the weekend. ;-)**

**Thank you all so much for all your reviews, it's what keeps me going. It means so much to me that you're all taking this journey with me, Annie and Spence. :D **

**So enjoy! **

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's! **

**I listen to a lot of music while writing to get me in the right mood. So if you're up for it, listen to: **

**"After the storm" by Mumford & Sons **

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Annie felt her heart beat faster as she followed the doctor down the long corridor towards Spencer's room. Dr. Walsh opened it and gestured for her to enter.

"A nurse will be with you shortly. If you need anyhting, don't hesitate to press the call button." he smiled softly at her.

"Thank you." she nodded her head before walking inside.

The room was dimly lit and the only sound was the low beeping of the machines monitoring Spencer's heartbeat. She walked up to the bed and when she caught sight of Spencer's sleeping body she pressed a hand to her mouth, muffling the gasp escaping her throat.

His left eye was swollen shut and had already turned into deep shades of blue and purple. He had several more bruises on his cheeks and jaw, his lower lip had a large cut and a bandage covered what she guessed to be a headwound on his right temple. His naked upper body was tucked under a clean white hospital bedsheet, covering up more bruises and his arms rested on his sides. The only thing telling her he was alive was the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Silent tears streaming down her face, she carefully took his equally bruised hand in hers, her thumb caressing his palm.

"Oh Spence..." she whispered, her other hand gently stroking his cheek.

She still couldn't quite wrap her head around what Dr. Walsh had told them. Paralyzed. The word alone was enough to make her cry again. She still hoped the doctor was wrong and that he would fully recover from this. But whatever the outcome was she would stay by his side and help him get through this.

Part of her was afraid she would hurt him, but the doctor had assured her the induced coma was making sure he didn't feel any pain. So she slowly bent down to him and her lips brushed his forehead.

"I love you honey... I love you so much..." she whispered, a small tear making it's way down her nose to the skin of his face.

"I see we have a visitor." a soft voice from the door made her turn her head and she caught sight of a nurse entering the room.

"Hi, my name is Cathy, I'm covering the night shift. I take it you're the young man's girlfriend?"

Annie quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks and held out her hand, instantly taken by the motherly charisma of the middle-aged woman.

"Yes, I'm Annie." she nodded her head, her voice barely a whisper.

"Aw sweetie, don't worry. We'll take good care of him." nurse Cathy replied, giving her a small smile and patting her shoulder. "I'll just check his vitals real quick and leave you to yourself again." she added, picking up the chart from the end of the bed.

Annie watched as the nurse checked the monitors and jotted down something on the papers in her hand. Her gaze fell back on Spencer's broken body when the beeping of the heart monitor suddenly started to speed up. Her eyes widened as she looked at nurse Cathy for help, her hand tightening the grasp on Spencer's.

"Don't worry, it happens sometimes." she assured her. "See, it's already slowing down again."

Annie felt herself relax again and let out a deep sigh.

"Here sweetie, why don't you sit down, get comfortable." Cathy smiled as she dragged a chair from the corner of the room towards the bed.

Annie thankfully nodded her head. Shrugging off her coat she took a seat, not even noticing the nurse leaving the room.

As she took his large hand in her small ones she felt her shoulders drop in exhaustion and let out a deep sigh.

"We'll get through this my love... Whatever it takes, we'll get through this..."

* * *

_Darkness was sorrounding him but Spencer faintly felt the touch of a small, soft hand in his, spreading warmth all through his body. His heart fluttered when he felt familiar lips graze the skin of his forehead and the voice he loved so much faintly reached his ears._

_"I love you honey... I love you so much..."_

_And then he knew that it was Annie, his Annie who was caressing him. Happiness sorrounded him at her words and he tried to open his mouth to tell her just how much he loved her. But somehow he seemed to have no control over his lips. For a second he panicked but suddenly relaxed again as his mind drifted away and he found himself in their kitchen._

_Annie was standing at counter, ripping leaves from a pot of basil. She was wearing bright red shorts and a loose-fitting black tank top, her feet bare, strands of hair falling in her face. He stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss on her neck._

_"Something smells good." he smiled as the aroma of spices filled his nostrils._

_"It's just tomato sauce." she giggled. "Nothing special."_

_"Doesn't matter, every time you cook for me it's special." he laughed, turning her around to face him._

_"You know you're quite the charmer Dr." she laughed._

_"Only with you." Spencer smiled and cupped her face in his hands, pulling her closer to press a soft kiss to her lips._

_"I love you." he whispered, their lips still touching._

_"Love you too." she smiled, capturing his mouth in another kiss._

_Spencer revelled in the feeling of her body pressed against his, her hands resting on his waist. And then it was like he was being pulled away again, away from Annie. _

_He started to panic as darkness once again took over. But then he felt the firm touch of Annie's hand again and he relaxed, knowing she was still there..._

* * *

Derek Morgan wasn't a man to cry easily, but as he stepped into the almost dark hospital room and saw his best friend's beaten body, he felt tears sting in his eyes. Annie's exhausted form was pressed against the hospital bed, her head resting right next to Spencer's lap, her left hand slung over his stomach and her right hand clutching his. They were almost breathing in sync.

The hospital usually didn't allow more than one visitor in the room and they had all agreed they would give Annie some time alone with Reid. They had been outside for more than an hour and eventually the doctor had agreed to let one of them in for a couple of minutes.

He felt anger rise up inside of him again at the thought that his best friend might never walk again. Hadn't he gone through enough already? And now that he had finally found happiness that bastard unsub had to come along and ruin it all. But looking at the young couple in front of him he knew if there was anything that would make this bearable for Reid, it would be Annie's love. And Morgan didn't doubt for one minute that she would be right by his side, no matter what.

He slowly stepped up to the bed, careful not to make any noise as to not disturb Annie's sleep. God knew she needed the rest, even if the position she was in looked incredibly uncomfortable.

He was lost in his thoughts for a couple of minutes when he sensed her move.

"Derek?" she asked groggily, her tired face looking up at him, her eyes still puffy and red.

"Honey, I didn't want to wake you, I'm sorry." he apologized, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Almost 10." Derek replied. "The others are still outside, they're gonna check into a hotel nearby."

"Derek..." she croaked, her eyes watering again. "What if... how..."

Morgan wrapped his arms around her. "We'll deal with that in the morning. You need to rest now, you need your strength."

Annie nodded her head. "I can't leave him Derek, I need to stay here."

"Of course you do." he smiled softly. "Hotch already talked to the doctor, you can sleep in the second bed over there. He had to put on his most intimidating face to convince him but he eventually agreed. I'll be right outside if you need anything."

"No Derek, you need to sleep too." she objected.

Derek shook his head. "There's no way I'm leaving you two, not tonight." he insisted.

"Thanks Derek." she whispered into his shoulder.

"Garcia and JJ went out and bought some cheap and horrible pajamas for you to wear." he added in a futile attempt to lighten the mood. "They're in that bag over there."

"Give them a hug from me, ok? I would do it myself but..."

Derek interrupted her. "I know sweetie, I know."

He pulled way from her and kissed her head again, turning to leave.

"Derek?" Annie's weak voice piped up.

"Yes?"

"Will you... will you sit with me... with us for a while?" she asked.

"Of course I will sweetie, of course I will." he replied, retrieving another chair and putting it on the other side of Spencer's bed.

* * *

Annie blinked her eyes open as the sunlight hit her face. And for the first few minutes her half awake state provided her with the bliss of oblivion. But then it all came crashing back to her. Spence being taken. Being beaten up. Paralyzed. That horrible word again.

After sitting with her in silence for another hour, her hand refusing to let go of Spencer's, Morgan had insisted she get some sleep. She had reluctantly agreed, insisting Morgan move her bed closer to Spencer's. She wanted as little distance between them as possible. She hadn't even bothered to shower and had only changed into the clothes Derek had brought in.

Despite her insistance that she was okay, he had apparently stayed in the room until she had fallen asleep since she could not remember him leaving. She felt touched at his support, and not only his but the whole team's. Of course she had always known that they were close, but the support of the BAU agents went way beyond that. They were truly a family.

Annie stretched her aching limbs before climbing out of the hospital bed and taking the few steps towards Spencer. He still lay in the same position as yesterday and the light of the day made him look even worse than last night. She felt tears sting in her eyes again but immediately scolded herself for it. She had cried enough, at least for now. And crying was not what Spencer needed right now. He had survived this, showing her he was an even stronger man than she already knew.

And she needed to be just as strong, for both of them.

Pressing a light kiss to his forehead, she gently stroked his hand when she heard a knock on the door. Looking up she saw the Dr. Walsh step in and walk towards her.

"Good morning." he said. "Although the expression is hardly fitting, I'm sorry."

Annie nodded her head and tried to give him a small smile. "It's not the best morning but at least he's alive." she whispered.

"Good. It's good that you're trying to see the postive side of this." the doctor gave a small nod as he checked the monitors. "Everything's looking good so far, he's stable and if it stays that way we should be able to wake him up tomorrow or the day after."

Annie's heartbeat fastened at the thought of finally seeing him open his eyes, finally hearing his voice. But it also fastened because she knew it meant telling him the terrible news...

* * *

**No cliffhanger this time! Review, review, review and I'll give you another chapter soon!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello my lovely readers! **

**Oh my gosh, I am seriously blown away by all your reviews and all the new follows and favorites! You guys rock! This is exactly what keeps me going and motivates me to write! **

**So here's another chapter for you!**

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's! **

* * *

**Chapter 18**

JJ let out a deep sigh and linked arms with Penelope as they walked down the corridor of the hospital towards Spencer's room. It had been only the day before yesterday that Spencer had been admited and his life had been saved but to her it seemed like they had been waiting forever for the doctors to wake him up.

After spending the first night at a nearby hotel the team had reluctantly gone back to D.C., they after all still had a job to do and she also had a son to take care of. Before taking the one hour drive back to their hometown they had quickly bought some essentials for Annie, who still refused to leave Spencer's side. But they all understood. JJ knew she wouldn't act any differently if it was Will in that hospital bed.

Knowing it would probably be days before he could be moved to a hospital in D.C., Penelope and her had decided to drive up to Baltimore again today, not only to visit Spence, but also to bring Annie some of her own clothes, hoping it would give her some comfort.

The past two days had been hard for all of them, everyone on the team was on the edge. But they were determined to help Annie and Reid get through this. And it would be a long road to recovery, if he would even make a full one.

"How do you think he'll react when he wakes up and learns about..." Penelope asked, breaking off, not able to actually say the words.

JJ shook her head. "I don't know Garcia. I really don't know. You know Reid, whenever something bad happens to him he distances himself, shuts down. But that was before Annie."

Penelope nodded her head as they reached Spencer's room. "They'll get through this JJ, they love each other too much to let this break them apart..."

* * *

Annie looked up from the book that was resting in her lap, her other hand gently stroking Spencer's wrist. She had spent almost all of yesterday in near silence except for the occasional chat with a nurse or updates from Dr. Walsh, And of course phone calls with Sarah, her parents and Scott, who had all been shocked by the terrible news. The team also had called to get an update on Spencer's condition.

And of course she had made the phone call she had dreaded: telling Spencer's mom that her boy was in the hospital. She had first talked to Dr. Norman who had advised her not to reveal the extent of Spencer's injuries to Diana. At least not before they were absolutely sure how bad the diagnosis really was. Of course Diana had been in tears and the two women had spent a good five minutes crying together over the phone.

Some time yesterday Annie had suddenly realized she needed to figure out what to do with her cafe and had been beyond grateful that Josh had agreed to take over running the place for the next couple of days. Right now she couldn't bring herself to think any further than that. All that mattered now was Spence.

So this morning she had decided she needed to occupy herself with something. So she had asked one of the nurses to bring her a book from the hospital library. So for the past two hours she had been reading "Pride and Prejudice" to Spence. Not really what he would have chosen but better than nothing.

The doctor had come in earlier to check on Spence and had praised her for the idea, telling her all about how coma patients might be able to hear voices. So she had continued, hoping the sound of her voice might give Spencer some comfort. But now her eyes actually started to burn, which didn't surprise her seeing she hadn't slept much during the past two nights, and she snapped the book shut.

Standing up she stretched her sore limps and walked over to the sink in the corner of the room. Splashing her tired face with cold water she looked into the mirror, grimacing at her reflection. The ponytail she had tied her light brown waves into couldn't hide the fact that she desperately needed to wash her hair and the dark circles under her eyes couldn't be hidden by make-up, even if she bothered to put some on. The simple black sweatpants and grey fitted shirt Penelope had bought her only emphasized the paleness of her complexion.

But she had been unable to tear hearself away from Spencer's bedside long enough to take a shower, not wanting to leave him alone longer than necessary. And frankly, she could care less how she looked. All she cared about was Spence...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door and she turned around, catching sight of two familiar blondes entering the room.

"Hey sweetie, we thought we'd come visit." Penelope said with a forced smile as she enveloped her in a tight hug.

"How is he?" JJ asked as she took Annie into her arms.

"Good, considering the circumstances..." Annie replied. "Thanks for coming guys."

"How are you holding up?" JJ asked, noticing how worn out she looked.

"Alright I guess..." Annie murmured. "The waiting is killing me, although I'm also dreading the moment he wakes up. Part of me is still hoping this is all just a horrible nightmare and I'll wake up any minute."

Penelope nodded her head. "We all wish it was pumpkin. But we're all here for you, both of you."

"Have you even left the room since you got here?" JJ asked, concern in her voice.

Annie shook her head. "No, I don't want him to be alone..."

"Well, then it's a good thing were here!" Penelope announced, trying too sound cheerful. "I hope you don't mind but we used the spare key you gave JJ to get some stuff from your apartment. And I brought this!" she added, retrieving a small bottle from the bag in her hand.

"It's lavender and sandalwood shower gel. According to Garcia it helps with stress release." JJ explained.

"It does!" the other blonde insisted. "And that's why you'll get into that bathroom and take a long hot shower while we'll keep watcher over your man here."

* * *

Stepping out of the shower half an hour later, Annie had to admit that Penelope had been right. The hot water had helped to get rid of some of the chill that had sent shivers through her body for the past days. She quickly dried herself and wrapped her hair into a fresh towel before putting on her favorite pair of dark-blue sweatpants, a simple red tank top and yellow cardigan. As she brushed her still damp hair she mentally thanked her two friends for providing her with some of her own clothes.

Walking back into the room she smiled as she saw Penelope carefully hold Spencer's hand in hers, chattering away with JJ sitting next to her.

"Ah, see Reid, she's back." Garcia smiled. "I told him you won't be gone long." she added with a look at Annie.

"She hasn't stopped talking to him since you left the room." JJ rolled her eyes.

"According to the doctor he might be able to hear us." Annie nodded. "I've been talking to him too. About how we met, our first date, our first kiss..." she trailed off, her voice lowering to a whisper.

"Oh honey..." JJ replied, jumping up from her seat to give her a hug."It'll all be alright..."

"The nurse brought in some lunch for you." she added with a gesture towards the table.

Annie shook her head. "I'm not really hungry..."

"Have you eaten at all in the last two days?" Penelope's voice piped up.

"Well, I had some jello yesterday."

"That's doesn't really qualify as a meal!" Garcia scolded. "You need to eat or you'll be the next one lying in a hospital bed!"

Annie knew Penelope was right, and she had really tried to work up an appetite for the breakfast the nurse hat brought in this morning. But she had barely been able to swallow even the first bite and had pushed the tray away again. She was about to reply when the door suddenly opened and Dr. Walsh walked in.

"Oh, I see you have some company." he smiled and introduced himself to JJ and Garcia.

Turning back to Annie he continued: "I've come to tell you we'll slowly start reducing the medications and wake him up. It'll take a few hours and we'll monitor him closely."

Annie took a deep breath and nodded her head. "So... when are we... you gonna tell him about..."

"Probably as soon as he's fully awake, he will most likely notice he's not able to move his legs so we need to make sure he doesn't panic. It sometimes happens with some patients." Dr. Walsh replied and stepped up to the IV pump, adjusting the dosage of the sedatives.

"I don't mind you staying a bit longer but I would prefer not too many people be present once he regains consciousness." he explained, turning to the two blonde visitors.

"Of course." JJ nodded.

"Alright, I'll be back again in an hour and check in on you." Dr. Walsh gave them one last smile before turning to leave.

* * *

Annie suddenly jolted awake when she felt Spencer's hand move in hers. Her heart started to beat faster and for a moment she thought she might have imagined or dreamed the slight squeeze she felt. But then it happened again and she was wide awake. She quickly pushed the call button next to Spencer's bed and within seconds a nurse rushed in.

"I think he's waking up, he moved his hand." she explained, her eyes fixed on his face.

"Seems like it." the nurse replied, taking a look at him. "I'll get the doctor and be right back."

Annie glanced at the clock on the wall and noticed that it was almost the next morning. After JJ and Penelope had left she had resumed her position at Spencer's side and must have fallen asleep. Her heartbeat quickened again when he squeezed her hand again and his upper body slightly moved.

She saw an unfamiliar doctor enter and when she turned back to Spencer she saw his eyelids flutter.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Montgomery. I know you've been dealing with Dr. Walsh but he's not on duty right now. But I'm familiar with Dr. Reid's case, so don't worry." he introduced himself.

Annie only gave him another short glance before turning back to Spencer.

"It will still take some time for him to fully wake up. And don't be surprised if he doesn't recognize you right away."

* * *

It had been another hour since his first movements and the doctor told her he should open his eyes any moment now. Both of her hands held his tightly, her gaze never leaving his face.

And then his eyelids slowly opened and Annie's heartbeat sped up again as his hazel eyes darted across the room, confused and scared.

"Honey..." she whispered, lifting her hand to caress his cheek.

And then he looked at her and for a moment she panicked, remembering the doctor's warning. But then his facial expressions relaxed and she smiled through the tears that clouded her vision.

"Where...?" he croaked through dry lips.

"You're in the hospital Spence..."

"What... what happened." he asked, trying to prop himself up on his elbows.

And Annie felt her heart break when the scared look returned to his eyes as he fell back on the pillow and spoke again, his voice trembling.

"Annie... why... I can't feel my legs... I can't move them!"

* * *

**Pleeeaaaseee don't hate me! And don't forget to keep those reviews coming!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello my lovely readers! **

**THANK YOU so much for all your great reviews! Here's another chapter for you as I know you are waiting to find out how Spence will react to the news. But remember: I love happy endings! ;-)**

**Enjoy!**

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's! **

* * *

**Chapter 19**

Spencer felt the panic overwhelm him as he desperately tried to move his legs, his eyes darting between Annie's tearful eyes and the serious expression of the doctor in front of his bed. He couldn't even feel the light, white bedsheet on his skin. And that's when he knew something was terribly wrong.

"Annie... what's wrong with me?" he stammered.

He felt her hand strongly squeeze his as her other hand gently ran through his hair.

"Honey, please, don't panic, I'm right here..." she whispered.

But he couldn't help his heart thumping in his chest, his breathing fastening. "Why.. why can't I move my legs?"

For the hundredth time Annie asked herself if this was really happening as she looked into his fearful eyes. She quickly sat down on the bed next to him and tightly held his hand. "Please, don't panic." she repeated. "The doctor will explain everything..."

"Dr. Reid? I'm Dr. Montgomery. Please try to stay calm." The doctor tried to reassure him. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Spencer looked at Annie again and saw her give him an encouraging nod.

"I remember everything. Corey Donovan took me and made me fight him. I tried to knock him out... but I couldn't..."

"Dr. Reid, you've been in an induced coma for 2 days now. You have sustained multiple injuries, most of them minor bruises and cuts. But I'm afraid you have also suffered a consiberable blow to your spine..."

Spencer felt Annie tighten her grip on his hand and his heart picked up the pace when the doctor continued.

"You are suffering from spinal injuries in the lumbar region Dr. Reid, which causes the paralysis you're experiencing. I'm afraid right now I can't tell you if this will be only temporary or permanent."

Annie looked at Spencer and felt like her heart was breaking at the look of utter disbelief on his face. His mouth was open, his lower lip quivering.

"Spence?" she whispered, breaking the silence. But there was no reply, he just continued to stare at the doctor.

"We've managed to control the inflammation in the affected area. Over the next few days we will determine whether the injury is complete or incomplete. In a complete spinal injury, all function below the injured area are lost. In an incomplete injury, some or all of the functions below the injured area may be unaffected and eventually return. There's also the possibility that it's a spinal shock, a loss of sensation accompanied by motor paralyisis with initial loss but gradual recovery of reflexes."

"So if it's a spinal shock there's a possibility of full recovery?" Annie asked hopefully, seeing Spencer was still at a loss for words.

The doctor nodded. "It all depends on the extent of the injury. If it is indeed a spinal shock, some of his reflexes should return over the course of the next days. In that case you'll experience something we call hyperreflexia, or abnormally strong reflexes usually produced with minimal stimulation."

Annie nodded her head. So there was still hope. He might fully recover again, he might be okay.

"I'll leave you two alone and give you some privacy." Dr. Montgomery said as he retreated towards the door. "I'll be back later to explain our next steps."

* * *

Spencer felt like the world had stopped turning. Paralyzed. Permanently paralyzed. Those were the only words he could focus on, even if the doctor had explained that it might only be a temporary condition. He looked up at Annie as he tried to process the information the doctor had just given him. Tears were stinging in his eyes but he tried to swallow them back.

And then Annie's face appeared before him, her hand gently stroking his cheek. A single tear made its way down her cheek and he could see the exhaustion in her features. Dark circles under her eyes, her skin pale. Annie... Had she spent the past 2 days at the hospital? He faintly remembered hearing her voice through the clouds of darkness that had sorrounded him.

She was still holding his hand as she sat down on the chair next to his bed.

"Honey, I know this is hard... God, I can't even believe it myself and I've had two days to try and digest all this." she whispered. "But we'll get through this, I'll be by your side no matter what..."

Spencer couldn't hold back the tears escaping his eyes at her words. And then Annie's arms were wrapped around him and she pulled his head to her chest, her fingers soothingly running through his hair as they silently cried together...

* * *

Annie let out a deep sigh as she looked at Spencer again. It had been almost 2 hours since Spence had woken up. The doctor had come back and explained the next steps to them, telling them about the tests they would perform and how they would proceed with treatments and rehabilitation accordingly. He had also said it would be possible to transfer Spencer to a hospital in D.C. by the end of the week as it would make things easier for both of them.

But Spencer still hadn't said a word. He just continued to stare at the crisp white sheet that covered his still motionless legs. She wished he would say something. Anything was better than the horrid silence that lay over the room. Hell, even if he screamed and yelled in frustration, at least it would be something.

But all she could do was sit next to him and hold his hand, letting him know she was there...

* * *

Aaron Hotchner rubbed his temples as he stepped out of his office into the bullpen. Morgan and Emily were sitting on their desks, both filing some paperwork on their last case, the case that was the reason one vital member of their team wasn't in his usual spot at his book-piled desk.

Corey Donovan would be released from the hospital, a different hospital than the once Reid was in, he had made sure of that, by the end of the week. He had sustained some injuries, both from fighting Spencer and the beating Morgan had dished out. But compared to the damage Reid had suffered they were minor. From there he would directly go into police custody, awaiting his trial.

He had already been questioned by Rossi and him, and Aaron's hands curled into fists when he thought about the conversation. Corey had been proud about what he had done, convinced he had once and for all shown the world he wasn't weak. They had also learned that he had pushed Reid against the metal pipes only minutes before his team entered the room, resulting in the injury that might change his colleagues life forever.

If they had just gotten there earlier! That was all he could think about. But he knew there was no use in thinking about the past, they all had to focus on the future. And most importantly how they could help Reid and Annie get through this difficult time. He still hoped Reid would make a full recovery and he needed all the support he could get. And if not, they all needed to be there and help him adjust to his new life.

"Everything alright Hotch?" Emily's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about Reid..." he replied gravely.

Emily gave him a soft look. Everyone knew he and Rossi were the father figures in their team and their youngest team member's fate had hit them hard. "We all do." she said.

"Have you heard anything from Annie?" Rossi joined them as he exited his own office.

Morgan shook his head. "Not today. She called Penelope last night and told her they would wake Reid up from the coma. Emily, Garica and me actually thought about driving up to Baltimore after work to visit him."

"Maybe I'll join you..." Hotch replied. "I keep thinking how he's going to take the news. Even if he does recover, it'll be a long way before he's back to normal. How are they going to manage? Their apartment is on the 4th floor and there's no elevator."

"There's no way Annie can get him up and down there by herself." Rossi agreed.

Derek glanced over at Emily before he replied. "I was actually thinking about that too. You know how they were looking for a new place? Annie had an appointment to look at a house just the day we left for the case. But that might already be rented out to someone else now... So I thought I'd offer them the house I just renovated. It's a bungalow, all on one floor. Might make things easier for them."

Aaron's features softened at Morgan's words. This team truly was a family. "I think they'd like that..."

* * *

Part of Spencer still expected he would wake up any minute, wake up from this horrible nightmare. He'd wake up at home in his bed, Annie's body curled up to his. And she would kiss him good morning, making him realize this had all been just a dream. And they would have breakfast and take a shower together, her laughter his favorite way to start the day.

But it wasn't a nightmare. No, this was real, as real as it could get. For the past 2 hours he had tried to wrap his head around the fact that he might never be able to walk again, never be able to feel his legs again.

And yet he couldn't stop himself thinking of Annie too. He knew she must have gone through hell when Corey had taken him. And now this. Guilt washed over him. She didn't deserve this, she didn't deserve to see him so broken. And he was broken.

"Honey, please, talk to me..." she pleaded as she stood up before sitting down on the edge of the bed.

But he could find no words, at least none that could express what he was feeling right now. Their life together flashed before his eyes. Walks in the park on the weekends, visits to the Zoo with Henry, New Year's in New York, sitting in her cafe, reading a book while she served her patrons with that warm smile he loved.

And then his thoughts drifted to the moments when it was just the two of them. Lazy Sunday afternoons spent on their couch. Annie showing him how to make pasta from scratch. The twinkle in her eyes when she tried to beat him in a game of cards. Taking showers together. Making love... Spencer inwardly groaned when he realized he might never be able to make love to Annie again. Never again swoop her up in his arms, her hands wrapped around his neck as she placed kisses all over his face. Never again see her beautiful face come undone in extasy. Never again experience that heavenly bliss of their bodies becoming one.

A gripping fear took hold of him when he realized that if his paralysis was permanent, things would never be the same again.

He would never again be the man she fell in love with...

* * *

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	20. Chapter 20

**Hi my lovely readers! **

**First of all, thank you all for your great reviews! **

**And since today is the day Season 9 finally premiers (at least for all of you lucky enough to live in in the US/Canada, I have to wait till I get home from work tomorrow to watch it... DAMN YOU TIME DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONTINENTS!) I thought it was time for another chapter! **

**So enjoy! Love you all!**

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC'S! **

* * *

**Chapter 20**

Annie let out a deep breath and dried her hands on her apron. She had gone back to work a couple of days earlier, knowing she couldn't let Josh run the cafe on his own forever. He had done a good job but it was still her business and she needed to take care of it. Lunch hour was just over and she felt like she was ready to just fall into bed.

It had been almost two weeks since Spencer had woken up from his induced coma and tomorrow he would be transferred to the MedStar Rehabilitation Hospital in D.C., where he would have to stay for at least another week before starting his ambulatory treatments.

She had barely gotten any sleep for over a week, working long hours every day and then driving up to Baltimore every night to spend at least a couple of hours with Spence before going home. And the few hours of sleep she managed to squeeze in these days were unruly. The emotional strain of dealing with Spencer's injury was starting to show. He had eventually broken his silence and talked to her. But not about how he felt, no. He had been distant and she felt like he was slipping further away from her every day.

He refused to talk about what was going on in that genius brain of his but she knew he was having a hard time to come to terms with what had happened. The doctor had assured her that it was perfectly normal, most patients reacted that way. But it still hurt. It still hurt that he didn't seem to be able to open up to her.

The doctors had performed some tests and he had shown signs of his reflexes recovering. But they still couldn't tell her if he would make a full recovery. It could take weeks, maybe even months of intense physical and occupational therapy to gain back even minimal mobility and sensation of his legs.

The hospital in D.C. was one of the best in the city when it came to rehabilitation and had already drawn up a routine of therapy for him. She knew it would be a lot of hard work and pain for him and she hoped he would find the strength to go through with it. Because frankly, the way he acted right now, it seemed like he had lost all hope.

"I'll be out front and help Holly. You should take the rest of the day off Josh, you've really done enough in the past two weeks." she quickly said to her sous-chef before walking through the door leading into the dining area.

The cafe was still bustling with patrons, most of them students who would spent hours in the cozy atmosphere, hunched over their laptops or textbooks with a cup of coffee.

She had just served some caramel latte's and a plate of muffins to a group of young girls when a voice made her turn around.

"Sweetie, there you are!" Sarah exclaimed and rushed up to her and enveloped her in a bear hug. "How are you?"

Annie gave her a soft smile as she squeezed her tightly. She was happy to see her best friend, they had barely had time to spend time together in the past weeks.

"Alright I guess." she shrugged and looked down at the floor.

Sarah pulled away from her and furrowed her brows as she looked at her. She didn't like one bit what he saw. Annie was attired in a simple green dress with a small flower-pattern,but while it usually hugged her curves in all the right places it now hung losely around her body. She had obviously lost weight and the dark circles under her eyes told her she probably didn't get much sleep.

"You don't look alright. In fact, you look horrible." she stated.

"Thanks Sarah..." Annie grimaced.

"You know what I mean sweetie..." she apologized. "Come on, why don't we sit down for a minute, I think you could use a break."

Annie nodded her head as she plumped down on a chair at the next table.

"How's Spencer?" Sarah asked as she motioned for Holly to bring them two cups of coffee.

"His body is healing, but..." Annie whispered, tears stinging in her eyes. And before she knew it she had burst into tears, her head resting on her hands.

Sarah's eyes widened at her best friend's sudden breakdown. She quickly wrapped her arms around her trembling shoulders and gently stroked her hair.

"Shhh sweetie, shhh." she tried to comfort her. "What's that "but..."?"

Annie sniffed her nose and wiped her cheeks as she looked up again.

"It's just... I feel like he's completely shutting himself off from me. Sometimes he won't even let me touch him..." she sobbed.

Sarah's face turned into a frown. Yes, she knew this was one of the worst things that could happen to anyone and it must be hard for Spencer. But shouldn't he be glad to have Annie by his side? He should hold on to her for support, not push her away. But of course that was easy to say if you weren't in his shoes and she knew they wouldn't be the first couple to break up over a life-changing injury.

"Honey, he just needs time to wrap his head around all this. I'm sure he'll come around." she tried to comfort her friend. "Did the doctors give you any new predictions about his recovery?

Annie shook her head. "Not really. He's shown that hyperreflex thing they talked about and they said it's a good sign. But they have to wait until he starts his physical therapy to really tell to what extent he'll recover."

"Well, that doesn't sound too bad!" Sarah said, trying to sound cheerful. "Have you figured anything out yet about your apartment?" she asked, knowing it would be impossible for him to use the stairs.

"Well, Derek offered for us to rent the house he just renovated. The rent is reasonable, I'm sure he could get more for it... But the doctors said Spencer will probably be released from the hospital in D.C. next week and start his ambulatory therapy, so I guess we don't really have any other options." Annie sighed.

"How sweet of him! And don't worry, I'm sure he's glad to help out. Spencer is like a brother to him." Sarah insisted. "Sweetie, I know this is hard but you'll get through this. Just give him time."

"I know... But it's killing me to see him like that." Annie replied, fresh tears springing from her eyes. "And it's killing me that I can't seem to comfort him, get through to him..."

* * *

Spencer gritted his teeth as the two paramedics heaved the guerney he was strapped on into the ambulance that would take him to the hospital in D.C. He saw Morgan, who had insisted to ride with him since Annie had to work, give him an encouraging nod and grimaced. Oh how he hated this, he hated all of it. He hated being dependant on others, not being to do anything on his own. He felt completely helpless and useless.

Derek watched his friend's facial expressions as he jumped into the ambulance and sat down beside him. Not once had he talked about how he felt but it was easy to read Reid's emotions. He gave a deep sigh, trying to think of a way to get him to open up. Reid had been distant and withdrawn and while Morgan could live with his friend ignoring him, it had almost broken his heart when he had seen Spencer pull away from Annie's touch.

When he had visited last week after he had woken up, the doctor had told them that his therapy would not only involve physical exercise but also psychological help for him and his friends and family. If this really was a permanent thing, not only Reid, but everyone around him would need help to adjust to this new situation. And the way it seemed they would all need it.

"So if you're alright with it we'll start moving all your stuff into the house while you're at the hospital." he tried to get a conversation going.

Spencer just shrugged his shoulders. Of course he appreciated Derek's offer to give them the house but it also felt like a pity act. And it reminded him once again how reliant on the help of others he was, especially Annie. Annie... she had been nothing but supporting and loving in the past weeks but he couldn't help but wonder if she wouldn't eventually grow tired of taking care of him. He didn't doubt her love for one minute, but if he really turned out to be permanently paralyzed, not only his but also her whole life would turn out different than the way they had planned. And she didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve to waste her life with someone like him.

"What's going on in that head, hm?" Morgan interrupted his thoughts.

"Nothing..." Spencer murmured.

"Don't tell me nothing when I can see it sure as hell isn't nothing." Morgan growled.

Spencer took a deep breath, contemplating if he should confide his worries and thoughts to his friend.

"It's just... I'm a burden Morgan. For everyone. Especially Annie." he sighed heavily.

Derek shook his head in frustration. This was exactly what he had been afraid of. "You're not a burden, not to me, not to anyone else. And especially not to Annie."

"Yes I am." Spencer snapped. "Look at me! I'm broken. She doesn't deserve this!"

"Don't you think that's for her to decide? She loves you, man. And the only thing she doesn't deserve is the way you've been treating her! Have you looked at her recently?" Now it was Morgan's turn to get angry.

"What do you mean?" Spencer asked in confusion.

"What I mean is the way you're putting up walls all around you. She reaches for your hand and you pull away! You must know this whole thing is almost as hard for her as it is for you. And you're making it even harder. All she wants is to help you, be there for you, but you're not letting her." Derek almost yelled.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down before he continued: "I didn't want to tell you because you've got enough on your plate right now but you want to know what happened when you got abducted? She completely broke down Reid! I will never forget that haunted look in her eyes when she came to the hospital, it was heartwrenching. And from the moment you came out of surgery she refused to leave your side. She hasn't been sleeping a lot, she hasn't been eating. She is practically wasting away before your eyes and you don't even see it!"

"Of course I see it!" Spencer yelled back, raising himself up on his elbows. "And that's exactly why I'm saying she doesn't deserve this. She deserves to be happy."

"Oh really, and you think she'd be happier without you?" Derek scowled.

"Maybe... It's only been two weeks, sooner or later she'll be sick of all this." Spencer replied, gesturing at his motionless legs.

"If you really think that you're dumber than I thought." Morgan shot back. "And don't give me that look, I mean it. You two are made for each other and she loves you, no matter what. And I know you love her."

"Of course I love her Derek. I love her more than my own life!" Spencer sighed in frustration.

"Then you better make sure she knows it. Because this!" Morgan pointed at Spencer's legs. "Is not what's gonna make her leave. No, if anything could make her leave you it's you acting like a complete moron."

And with that Morgan leaned back in his chair and took another deep breath, his eyes fixed on his friend.

Spencer laid down on his back again, a deep frown on his face as he thought about Morgan's words. Yes, he knew he was pushing Annie away. But it was only for her own good. Of course he had noticed how frail Annie looked these days, but he had thought it was because dealing with his injury was too much for her. He didn't want her to stay with him out of guilt. The thought of not having her in his life killed him but what did his happiness matter? All he cared about was her. And she didn't deserve to spend her life caring for him, no, she deserved so much better...

* * *

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	21. Chapter 21

**Hello everyone! **

**Like always, thank you for all your great reviews! I can't believe it's over 200 already! Keep them coming, they inspire me to write! **

**Also, how awesome was the season premier? I am soooo looking forward to next week! :D**

**So here's another chapter for you! Enjoy!**

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's! **

* * *

**Chapter 21**

Annie felt her heart beat in her chest as she walked down the corridor of D.C.'s MedStar Rehabilitation Center. The nurse at admission had told her Spencer had arrived an hour earlier. Like every day she hoped that today would be different, that he would give her at least a small sign that some of the old Spencer was still in there. That he would give her even the tiniest smile and let her hold his hand. Maybe even let her kiss him.

She had told no one about it but she had talked to the resident psychologist in Baltimore and the young female doctor had assured her it was perfectly normal for Spencer to shy away from physical contact. But even more than she longed for his touch, she wanted to not only tell him, but show him that she still loved him, that nothing had changed. That even though so much else was different now, that was the one thing that was still the same. That they were still Annie and Spencer and that they belonged together.

She gave a deep sigh as she reached his room and tentatively knocked on the door before stepping in. Her gaze swept across the room and she caught sight of Spencer, lying in the bed of the single room with Derek next to him in a chair.

"Hey there!" Derek greeted her with a smile and stood up to give her a hug.

Annie smiled back before she turned to Spencer and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, trying to ignore his flinching. "Hi honey."

Morgan shot an angry look at Reid when he saw him recoil from Annie's touch. Apparently he still hadn't gotten the message across to him that if he kept behaving like that he might very well loose the best thing that ever happened to him. And he knew Reid would only regret it when it was too late. He gave his friend another stern look as Annie took of her light spring coat.

"Have you settled in all right?" Annie asked in a soft voice as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

Spencer nodded his head as he looked at her. And what he saw almost broke his heart. Of course he had noticed before how worn out she looked, but he had never taken the time to _really_ look at her. A weak smile was plastered on her face but it didn't reach her eyes. Her dress hung loosely around her body and only now did he realize how much weight she must have lost. Every fibre of his being was urging him to pull her into his arms but he still held back, still couldn't bring himself to let down his guard.

His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and a young man in scrubs stepped in.

"Hello Dr. Reid? I'm Michael Turner and I'll be your physical and occupational therapist from now on." he introduced himself as he shook Spencer's hand.

"Please, call me Spencer." he replied with a forced smile before introducing Annie and Morgan to the young man.

"I have your schedule for this week as well as for your ambulatory treatment here." Michael continued as he opened a file of papers. "So we'll be starting with your first session right now, your doctor has informed me that you have shown signs of your reflexes returning so it's vital for your recovery that we start immediately."

Annie looked at Spencer who just nodded his head in silence. He didn't seem particularly motivated but she knew there was no way around it. She would not just let him give up.

"There are also some basic everyday exercises you can do once you're home, either alone or with assistance. I take it you two live together?" Michael asked with a look at Annie.

"Yes, we do." she replied.

"So over the course of the next week I'll show you how to help Spencer with everyday tasks such as getting in and out of the wheelchair or taking showers." Michael said. "I can see that you have already regained bladder and bowel movement and have already been instructed how to use the restroom. Is your bathroom at home wheelchair accessible?"

Annie's heart gave a small tug when she saw the Spencer flinch again at the therapist's words. He almost looked like a boy, his short hair ruffled with strands of it falling in his face. She knew this was hard for him and she wanted to tell him there was no need to be ashamed. But she was afraid he would take it the wrong way so she decided not to say anything but instead turned to Morgan.

"I.. I don't know. Is it Derek?" she asked in reference to Michael's question.

Morgan gave a small nod. "It basically is and I'll instally whatever is necessary to make things easier."

Michael smiled. "Good. So Spencer, we'll start with getting you into a wheelchair. I want you to sit up and then help you move your legs to the edge of the bed. If you experience pain at any point please tell me immediately, ok?"

Spencer grimaced and nodded as he propped himself into a sitting position.

Annie bit her lip, trying hard to control her emotions as she watched Michael pick up Spencer's legs and shift them so they were hanging over the edge of the bed. The last thing he needed was to see pity in her face and she held her breath as Michael picked Spencer up and heaved him into the wheelchair Morgan had pulled up to the bed.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it? Over time you'll learn how to use your arms to do this yourself and with our therapy you might soon be able to use your legs more if you regain mobility." Michael announced with a smile.

Annie gave Spencer and encouraging smile as she placed her hand on his, her heart skipping a happy beat when he didn't pull back but returned her smile, even if it was just a small one. Maybe things would get better, maybe this was the first step towards recovery...

* * *

Morgan took a sip of his coffee before placing it back on the table as he looked at Annie who sat across from him in the hospital cafeteria. She had joined Spencer and Michael in the physical therapy room while he had waited here. They had decided to give Reid some rest and he had suggested to get some coffee.

"So, how are you holding up girl?" he asked, causing her to snap up her head.

She had spent the past hour watching closely how Michael had massaged and moved Spencer's legs to keep the muscles from shrinking. It had been painful to watch Spencer grit his teeth during the whole ordeal. He had assured them that wasn't in pain but she could see how hard this was for him.

"Good." she said with a forced smile. "I'm good."

"No you're not." Derek replied and placed his large hand on her small one. "Don't even try to tell me you are, I'm a profiler, remember?" he chuckled.

Despite herself Annie had to smile. "Ok, I'm not good. I'm exhausted Morgan. And not from all this." she threw her hands up.

"I know... It's Reid, isn't it? The way he's acting towards you?" Morgan asked, his face softening.

Annie nodded her head. "I just wish I could get through to him. Sometimes I feel like yelling at him, just to get any reaction... But that's not gonna help anyone."

"Maybe you should. Maybe that's just what he needs to get his head straight again." Derek replied.

"Derek... I can't..." Annie whispered. "He's hurting enough already."

"And what about you? He's the one that's injured but not the only one hurting. I can see how much you are suffering." Morgan replied softly. "You've lost weight."

"I know." she murmured. "But I can afford it." she attempted a chuckle.

"No you can't." Derek insisted. "And that's why I'm buying you a brownie right now. And you'll eat it. All of it. And then you will get in there and talk to him. And if he doesn't want to, you have to make him talk! I will not stand by and see you two break apart over this."

"Derek... I don't think that's..." she started but was interrupted.

"God girl, you're almost as stubborn as him..." he sighed. "I won't take no for an answer, and if I have to block the door myself until you figure this out. I know you're a fighter, so get in there and fight for your man!" he said seriously.

* * *

Annie looked up at Morgan again who gave her an encouraging nod before she carefully opened the door to Spencer's room. She licked her lips nervously, still tasting the chocolate of the brownie Derek had practically forced her to eat. Spencer was lying in his bed again, a book in his hands but he wasn't really reading. She could tell because he wasn't flipping the pages at almost warp speed like he usually did.

"Spence?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Spencer's head snapped up in surprise and when he looked up he saw Annie slowly walk towards him, the look in her eyes once again almost breaking his heart. Oh how he wished this all never happened and everything was still the same. And not as... messed up as it was right now.

"Hm?" he asked when she reached him.

"Spence we... I think we need to talk. I... I can't do this anymore..." she said, her voice only slightly louder this time.

His heart stopped for a minute. This was it. She was going to tell him she had had enough of it, enough of dealing with a broken man. But it was all for the best, eventually she would be better off without him. And at least he had been lucky enough to have her in his life for almost a year. It would have been their anniversary next week and he had planned something big for it...

"I know." he replied, feeling tears sting in his eyes.

"Spence... You don't talk to me. You don't let me touch you..." she replied, her voice cracking.

"I can't Annie, I just can't..." he whispered. "It's not fair on you."

"Fair on me? What the hell are you talking about?" she asked, the confusion in her voice evident.

"You don't deserve this! Look at me!" Spencer cried out. "I'm completely broken, I can't walk, I can't do anything on my own. I'm not the man you deserve!"

"Is that really what you think?" Annie gasped.

"Yes! I promised you I would always protect you. How can I do that now, ha? Tell me? How am I supposed to give you what you need when I can't even get out of bed alone?" he was now actually yelling.

"You really think I care about that? You really think that's how I see you?" now it was her turn to yell.

"How could you not? And I don't blame you..." Spencer murmured, the tears streaming down her face breaking his heart.

"Are you really that stupid Spence? Do you really think I'm the kind of woman who would just walk away? I really thought you knew me better than that!"

"I... I don't know Annie. I don't want to be a burden on you. Hell, I don't even know if I can ever make love to you again! You deserve a different life." he yelled back.

"Do you really think that's all I care about? Making love? Yes, it's killing me to think you might never feel my touch again... but it's better than losing you! And don't you think it's for me to decide what I deserve? I love you Spencer! God, the only thing I could think about when you were in surgery was "Please, please let him be alive"!" her voice had risen even further, all the built-up emotion finally set free. "All I want is to be with you, whether you can walk or not!"

Spencer swallowed hard, shocked by her anger. They had had the odd fight in the past year, but he had never seen her so worked up. "But I can't ruin your life like that!"

Annie bit her lip as more tears streamed down her cheeks.

"You're not ruining my life! The only thing that could ruin my life would be for you not to be in it! And I thought you felt the same way. I thought we belong together, no matter what. I never thought you would be able to just throw all this away! I thought you knew how much I love you..."

Spencer looked at her as her chest rose and fell from her breathing as she took a pause. Her lips were trembling as she pulled out the pi pendant from under her dress. And what she said next was like a bolt shooting right to his heart.

"Remember this Spence? Remember when you gave it to me in New York with that poem? You wrote "our love has no end". I still feel that way Spence, there's nothing that could ever stop me from loving you... And I thought you felt the same..."

* * *

**Don't forget to review and I'll update again soon! Love you all!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hi everyone! **

**As you've all been soooo lovely in your reviews I thought I'd give you another chapter today! :D Thank you all so much, all your comments give me bursts of inspiration! **

**Hope you all had a great weekend! **

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's! **

* * *

**Chapter 22**

"And I thought you felt the same..."

Spencer could feel his heart beat fast in his chest, the thumping of it sounding in his ears as he looked at Annie. Small tears were streaming down her face, her mascara slowly trickling away. Her lower lip was slightly trembling. Her hand was still clasping the pendant, rising and falling with every ragged breath. But the worst part was that fearful look in her eyes as silence dominated the room. Every fibre of his being screamed for him to pull her into his arms and wipe away those tears.

"But I guess I was wrong.." she whispered, her shoulders hunched as she grabbed her coat and turned around to leave.

Annie felt a sob rising in her throat. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to leave. But she had to. She couldn't bear his silence anymore. She couldn't handle his distance and the way he pulled away from her. And most of all she couldn't bear for him to see her like this. Maybe she had been wrong, maybe some wounds weren't meant to mend. She would never have thought it would come to this. It wasn't supposed to end that way, they belonged together, and she could physically feel her heart breaking at the thought of them not being together.

Annie's hand reached for the handle of the door, slightly hesitating. It was like her heart was calling out to her to not walk away. She started to turn the doorknob, letting out a deep sigh.

Spencer's heart picked up the pace even more. Yes, he wanted her to have a better life than the one he could provide her with in his current condition. Yes, he wanted her to be happy. But could he really let her walk away? Out of his life? His fingers fidgeted in his lap and he bit his lip as he looked down on them.

"Annie!" he called out, his voice cracking.

He could feel tears well up inside of him and when he looked up and right into her eyes, it was like a bolt shot right to the core of his heart. Those eyes... They told him everything he needed to know.

"Please, don't leave..." he whispered. And then the words came pouring out of him. "Of course I meant it. God, Annie, I love you. I love you more than you could ever know. You're the only reason I'm still here... When I was in that room and Corey's fists came crashing down on me the only thing I could think of was you. That I had to survive, for you. For us... I would have died in that room if it hadn't been for you. Now I sometimes wonder if dying would have been easier... better... instead of coming back to you as a broken man."

Annie thought her heart might stop beating here and there. Was that really what he thought? Did he really wish he was dead? She let the coat that was still grasped in her hand fall to the floor as she rushed to his bedside and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Don't ever say that again Spence!" she sobbed into his neck. "Don't you ever say that." was all she could get out.

Spencer couldn't hold back his own tears anymore as her body started to shake violently, her hitched breathing against his neck, her tears wetting his shirt. And as if they had a life of their own his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer until she was sitting on the edge of the bed. His hands were gently rubbing her back as she continued to cry.

Just the thought of Spencer being dead sent Annie's body into a state of near panic. She couldn't believe he felt that way, couldn't believe he really thought it would be better if he wasn't here anymore. At the same time a rush of happiness shot through her, finally feeling his body pressed against hers again. It felt like forever that they had been this close. She could feel his heart beating against her chest through the thin fabric of his shirt.

She took a deep breath, his familiar scent in her nostrils calming her down a little. She pulled away and cupped his face in her small hands as she pressed her forehead against his and looked into his tear-stained eyes.

"Don't you ever say that again Spence." she whispered, her voice still trembling. "A world without you wouldn't be worth living. You're my everything... You're still the man I fell in love with. I need you honey. And I don't care what happens in the future, the only thing I care about is that I'm with you. I love you. And I'll be by your side, no matter what."

Spencer swallowed hard as more tears rolled down her cheeks, mixing with his own at the tips of their noses. He bit his lip, guilt suddenly washing over him when he thought about how he had treated her. His arms were resting on her hips and he felt the slight hardness of her bones at the place were there once had been the soft curves that had the ability to make his head spin. Yes, he was the one physically hurt but his body was broken because of hate. But hers had suffered because of him... Because of someone who was supposed to love her, not hurt her.

At that moment he realized that not only had she spoken the truth and that she needed him. No, he needed her too. He couldn't live without her, just like he couldn't live without air to breath.

She was still looking straight into his eyes and he slowly ran his hands up her body until he reached the back of her neck. He pulled her towards him, her breath hot against his face.

Annie bit her lip as Spencer's fingers softly grazed her neck, his thumb caressing her cheek.

"I love you." his voice was barely a whisper.

And then he pressed his lips onto hers in a soft kiss and she let out a relieved sigh, the tension of the past weeks leaving her.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." he breathed as he pulled away, his voice cracking.

She slightly shook her head and leaned into him. "I don't want this to break us apart Spence... I can't lose you..."

"And I don't want to lose you... God, I've been so stupid..." he replied, his voice still low. "But..Annie... I'm so scared."

Annie felt fresh tears stinging in her eyes. "I know you are honey, I know. But we'll get through this. You're so strong and if you feel weak I'll be there to catch you. I can't promise you things will ever be the same again but I can promise you I'll always be by your side." she said, kissing him softly again.

Spencer let out a small sob at her words and he pulled her close again, sending her crashing into his chest. She cried silently as she rested her head on his shoulder, her hot breath against his skin. He nuzzled her neck again, gently stroking the now hollow area between her shoulderblades. Feeling her warm body against he knew she was right. They would get through this, together. They would figure out how to build a life for themselves, despite all the obstacles. How he had gone three weeks withouth holding her in his arms was now a mystery to him.

"I love you." he whispered again, the urge to make sure she knew he still loved her taking over. "I love you... I love you.." he repeated over and over again, like some sort of sacred chant.

* * *

Derek Morgan had been sitting on the row of chairs opposite Spencer's room for almost an hour, waiting and hoping that two of his closest friends would figure things out. At first it had been fairly silent in the room but then he had heard yelling through the thin walls. He hadn't been able to understand what had been said but apparently Annie had taken his advice and finally told Reid how she felt.

Yes, he was the one who was paralysed. He was the one who had been abducted. But Annie had gone through hell too, and while she had tried to mask the true extent of her feelings, it hadn't worked. At least not with him. He had been able to see right through her forced smiles and assurances that she was alright. But despite the fact that she was obviously worn out and exhausted, she was still one hell of a woman and Reid should call himself lucky to have her by his side.

He stood up again, pacing the hallway that now lay in complete silence again, except for the occasional nurse, doctor or visitor passing through. The yelling inside the room had stopped, but he didn't know if that was a good thing. It could also mean that everything had been said and this was the defeating silence of a relationship in it's final stages. He sighed deeply as he sat down only to immediately jump up again. He just couldn't take it any longer, he had to know.

He carefully stepped up to the door and lightly knocked on it. Not getting an answer he opened it just a bit and peeked in. He hadn't realized he had been holding his breath until he exhaled, the sight in front of him putting a smile on his face. He silently closed the door again to not disturb them and made his way towards the exit.

He had just reached the parking lot when his phone buzzed in his pocket and he smiled again when he looked at the screen and picked up.

"Hi baby.." he started but was cut off by the bubbly voice on the other end.

"Please tell me some good news!" Penelope pleaded. "Cause if you tell me they've broken up I will officially stop believing in the miracle that is true love and shall summon you to comfort me with boxes of chocolate and a soppy movie!"

Morgan chuckled. Garcia had called him earlier, concerned for her favorite lovebirds as she liked to call Annie and Reid, and he had promised her he would try and help them sort things out.

"Don't worry baby girl. They sure yelled at a each other a lot but I think they'll be alright..."

"Oh thank god!" she exclaimed. "In that case, the only chocolate I need is yourself. So get over here, I want to know exactly what happened!"

* * *

Spencer pressed a light kiss on Annie's head and gently pulled her towards him even more, feeling the need to close even the smalles gap between them. At some poing they had both stopped crying and she had climbed into bed with him, lifting the covers and snuggling up to his body. Her ragged breathing had calmed down and he thought she must be sleeping. He closed his own eyes, exhausted from the day.

But for the first time in weeks he felt content again and even a little happy. The feeling of guilt was still nagging at the back of his mind. How could he ever have doubted that this marvellous creature that lay sprawled across his chest would not stay with him, would not be right by his side through whatever may come their way? He had hurt her, hurt her in a way he had vowed himself never to do and the thought made him cringe. Her tiny body slightly shifted against him and she suddenly pressed a soft kiss on his neck.

"I love you." she whispered, for what had to be the hundreth time.

He shifted his weight so he was lying on his side, his arm sliding down her back to her waist. "And I love you." he whispered. "And I promise you, I'll never doubt you again. And no more hiding our feelings, no more pretending ok? I can't promise you there won't be days when I think I can't go on anymore. There'll be days when I'm angry, at myself, at the world. But whatever happens, you have to know that I love you."

Annie's lips curled into a small smile and she nodded. "I know. But we'll figure this out, together."

Spencer returned her smile and Annie's heart skipped a happy beat when she saw it, the first real smile she had seen in weeks.

And then his lips found hers again, his tongue gently demanding entry. Spencer felt warmth rush through him as he lost himself in their kiss. And that's when he knew she had been right. Whatever the future might hold for them, they would figure it out. Yes, right now he was still scared as hell. Scared that he really might never be able too walk again. But he knew that if anything could get him through this it was Annie's love. As long as she was with him, he knew that one day, he'd be truly happy again.

* * *

**Awwww, finally! Don't forget to leave a review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hi my lovely readers! **

**First of all SORRY for not updating for a week! But I had a busy week at work, my husband had the flu (and you know how men are when they're ill...) and some friends from out of town visiting I just didn't find the time and quiet to write.**

**But thank you all soooo much for your lovely reviews! Here's another chapter for you to enjoy! **

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's.**

* * *

**Chapter 23**

Annie put her hands on her waist as she looked around the living room of the house they would move into today. Despite all the hardships her and Spencer were going through right now, this new home was like a ray of light in the darkness.

Derek hadn't promised too much when he had said the house would be perfect for them. The cozy bungalow was situated in a quiet neighbourhood not far from the FBI headquarters. It was painted in a warm peach color with white windows and was sorrounded by a beautiful garden complete with roses and a few bushes and trees. Originally a couple of steps had led up to the porch but Morgan, with the help of Hotch and Rossi, had added a ramp for Spencer's wheelchair.

The whole team had been more than supportive in this past week. They had all helped with packing everything up in their old apartment and moving it to their new place, making sure everything was ready once Spencer was released from the hospital. Annie had spent the past two nights in JJ and Will's guest room since she insisted on spending the first night in their new home with Spencer. She just hoped he would like it and would feel at home here.

"I think Reid will really like living here with you." Emily voiced her thoughts as she stepped into the room from the adjacent kitchen where she had been unpacking some boxes with JJ.

Annie turned around and gave her a smile. "I really hope so." she replied.

"I can't believe what Morgan has done to the place, I saw it when he bought it and it was a mess..." JJ said as she joined them.

"Yeah, he showed me some pictures. If he ever gets sick of profiling he should do this full-time." Annie laughed.

"So i think we're done with everything. All the boxes are inside and most of them are unpacked." Emily nodded her head as she surveyed the room.

"Thank you so much guys for helping. I couldn't have done it without you. And I promise you once we're settled in I'll invite you all over for a big dinner." Annie promised as she gave both of them a hug.

"I'm sure no one will say no to one of your home-cooked meals." Morgan chuckled as he walked into the room. "And if you guys need help with anything you just call me, ok?"

Annie gave him a thankful nod and a hug, almost vanishing under his tall frame as he squeezed her tightly. "Thanks Derek. A thousand thank you's wouldn't be enough for all this." she said. "I don't know what we would've done without this house."

"Anything for you guys." he smiled. "So are you sure you and Reid will be okay tonight by yourself? I know Michael at the hospital showed you how to help Reid with everything but are you sure you don't want me to stay here just in case?"

Annie shook her head. "I think we'll be alright Morgan. Besides, Michael will come over this afternoon to see if we need any more instructions."

"He'll do that? Wow, I didn't know the FBI healthcare plan covered home visits." Emily laughed.

"It doesn't actually..." Annie bit her lip and hesitated for a moment before she continued. "Um, he asked us not to tell you, but um... Rossi offered to pay for some extra help. We didn't want to accept at first but he insisted."

Annie suddenly felt her eyes water, once again moved by the support they were getting from everyone, but also because she was nervous on how they would adjust to their new life. Would Spencer really feel at home here? Would they really manage the difficulties that came with him being constrained to a wheelchair?

JJ quickly stepped up to her and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "I'm sure he's glad to do it. And you'll be alright sweetie, we're all here for you. And we all still haven't lost hope that Spence will walk again. If anyone can do it, it's him."

Annie nodded and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, forcing a smile. JJ was right. They would be alright. Of course Spence was still devastated about everything but at least they had put their differences behind them. He had been nothing but loving and tender with her in the past days, not leaving any doubt about how much he loved her.

"Well. I guess I'll better see where Hotch, Rossi and Penelope are, I want to say goodbye to them before I leave to pick Spence up from the hospital." she smiled.

"You do that. We'll clear away the rest of the empty boxes while you run along. Wouldn't want you to be late." Emily smiled.

"Yeah, we can let ourselves out." JJ added with a wink at Emily.

"What was that wink JJ?" Annie asked. "Don't think I didn't see that!"

"What?" JJ gasped, barely able to hold back a smile. "Nothing sweetie, you must have imagined it. And now hush, hush, or you'll really be late."

* * *

Annie fastened her pace as she rushed up to Spencer's room. Of course the goodbyes had lasted longer than she had expected and she was slightly late. She just hoped Spencer and the physical therapy assistant that would accompany them on their way home hadn't left already. Reaching his room, she briefly knocked before stepping in.

Spencer glanced up when he heard the knock on the door, a smile lighting up his face as he caught sight of Annie entering. Despite his nervousness of actually going home and having to adjust to all the new obstacles the future would hold for him, she still had the ability to lift his spirits. She had spent every minute away from the cafe with him this past week. She had attended every physical therapy session with him, eagerly learning how to help him get into his wheelchair and how to assist him with basic daily exercises that would keep his muscles flexible.

He was still a bit uncomfortable about it all, about her supporting his weight whenever he transferred from the bed to his chair. He had cringed with embarassment countless times when she once again slung her arms around him to help him lift himself up but every time her dazzling smile had washed away all his doubts. She really was his one and only sunshine. And he vowed to himself he would try and stay positive. Yes, things were bad, but at least he had her to help him through it all.

Annie's heart skipped a happy beat when she saw Spence smile at her. Oh how she had missed that smile during those awful hours at his bedside when he would just stare into empty space, oblivious to what was going on around him. And he still had that empty look in his eyes sometimes and she knew they were both far from beingtruly happy and without worry. But that fight had actually been a good thing. It had forced them both to be completely honest with each other. It had forced them to share their fears. And she knew that in the long run it had only made them stronger.

"Hi there honey." she smiled and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "Ready to go home?"

She still had to get used to seeing him sitting in that wheelchair. Get used to bending down to kiss him instead of standing on her tiptoes to at least try and match his tall frame. But she didn't care, he was still the man she fell in love with.

Spencer nodded his head. "I guess I am. Although I'm still nervous about everything."

"Don't be. I'm sure with a little practice we'll do just fine." she gave him an encouraging smile. "And who knows, the doctor said your reflexes are slowly improving, so we can't give up hope that you'll be back on your feet again."

And with that, she leaned down again to sneak another small kiss on his lips.

* * *

"Alright, so I'll see you guys tomorrow. And remember, if you need anything, just call, ok?" Michael asked as Annie opened the front door for him.

"We will, thank you."

Spencer watched from his position in the middle of the room as Annie said goodbye to his physical therapist. They had arrived an hour earlier and Michael had checked once more if she could really manage to get him in and out of bed. He had also looked around the couse, satisfied with the wheelchair accessibility of the rooms, especially the bathrooms. He didn't know how but Morgan had actually managed to rebuild the shower in the master bedroom so it'd be more easy for him to get in.

It was still a bit weird for him to come back from the hospital to a new home, one he had never seen before. But Annie hadn't promised to much, by what he had seen of it so far it was perfect.

The front door opened up into a large living room, their brown leather couch in the center of the room, facing the TV. Not only his but also Annie's bookshelves that she had put into storage only a couple of months earlier lined the walls that were painted a warm yellow. His antique desk had found a place in a corner of the room to his left, right next to the door that, according to Annie, lead to the kitchen. Large windows and a glass door that lead to the garden let in the warm sunlight of early evening, giving the room a warm glow.

A hallway opposite the kitchen door lead to the other rooms: A master bedroom that was almost identically furnished to their old one, complete with an en-suite bathroom that not only had a shower but also a bathtub. Opposite the bedroom were two more rooms. They would use one of them as a guest room while the second one was currently empty.

Of course the whole place still looked a bit bare but he knew Annie would change that within a week - if not less. Spencer slightly nodded his head. Yes, they would definitely feel at home here.

"So, are you hungry?" Annie's voice interrupted his thoughts and he looked up to see her smiling at him.

"Sure." he nodded. "I'll join you in the kitchen."

Annie happily bit her lip, elated by the good mood he seemed to be in. For a moment she fought the urge to grab the handles of Spencer's wheelchair but held back, knowing he not only wanted, but needed to get used to getting around in it on his own. So she just gave him a smile and walked towards the kitchen.

Spencer couldn't hold back the smile anymore as she opened the door and let out a small gasp, her hand flying to her mouth as she stopped in her tracks.

Annie turned around and she looked at Spence. And then back to the kitchen table that was set for two. A huge bouquet of lillies was sitting on top of it, candles completing the picture. On the kichen counter she could see a brown paper bag with the familiar logo of one of her favorite restaurants.

"Wha... What... How?" Was all she could get out as she stepped into the room.

Spencer wheeled in after her and cradled her hand in his. "I had a little help from JJ, Garcia and Emily." he smiled. "I know how hard the last couple of weeks were for you. And I know that probably nothing will ever make up for the way I treated you." he swallowed hard before he continued. "But I love you Annie, you're my everything. I don't want you to ever doubt that again. And I wanted to start this new chapter in our lives with something special. Something positive."

Annie felt tears sting in her eyes as she bent down, wrapping her arms around Spencer's neck. "You even got me my favorite flowers..." she whispered as she kissed the spot behind his ears.

"Well, technically Garcia got them." he chuckled.

"But you told her to." she smiled as she felt him pull her closer. She slightly hesitated "Are you sure I won't hurt you?" she asked.

Spencer just shook his head and grabbed her by the hips, slowly pulling her onto his lap.

Annie felt warmth spread through her at their closeness as she snuggled into him, losing himself in his hazel eyes. Her hand reached up to push a stray strand of hair from his face.

"I love you Spence." she whispered.

"I love you too Sunshine." he smiled back.

And when her lips met his, he knew that despite everything, this night would just be the first night of the rest of his life with Annie.

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**Don't forget to review! I'll try and update again as soon as possible! :)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hi everyone! **

**Thank you so much for all your reviews! A big shout out to my faithful readers _tannerose5, ssdub, ripon, Sue1313, sonotalady, CynthiaSylar_ and _Criminal-Minds-superfan. _**

**And of course thank you to my wonderful beta and friend _sunset's last lullaby_ who never fails to make me laugh, even when it's beta-ing for me. :D **

**Hope you enjoy the new chapter! **

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters except for my OC's!**

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**Chapter 24**

Spencer's eyes fluttered open as the alarm on his nightstand went off. Reaching over he quickly turned it off and yawned. The bedroom was bathed in the warm light of the early morning spring sun. He felt Annie stir beside him, her body pressed against his, her head resting on his chest. He gently pressed a kiss on her head and smiled when she looked up at him, her eyes still sleepy.

"Good morning." he whispered.

Annie covered her mouth to hide her own yawn before she sat up and kissed him. "Good morning." she smiled.

It had been almost two weeks since they had moved in and they were slowly getting used to their new home and the new routines. They would wake up at 6.30 and start the day with a couple of minutes of cuddling in bed. Then she would help Spencer get out of bed and into his wheelchair, a task she was slowly becoming an expert in. Of course his arms had grown stronger during the past weeks, thanks to a rigorous workout. They would have breakfast together before she left for work at the cafe.

Michael always picked up Spencer shortly after she left, helping him to get dressed before driving to physical therapy. They would often have lunch together at the hospital before he would drop him off at home again. She had arranged for Josh to cover the late afternoon shifts so she could be home by 3 to spend the rest of the day with Spencer. They had spent the past two weeks cooped up in the house, feeling like they needed that time alone to adjust to their new life. Of course Morgan and Penelope had visited them a couple of times. Penelope had showered them with home-baked brownies and other treats, apparently determined to have Annie gain back all the weight she had lost.

"So, are you sure you want to go into work today?" Annie asked as she stretched her arms high above her head and looked at Spencer.

The bruises on his face had finally healed and in those moments when they were cuddling in bed it was almost like this whole thing had never happened. It was just them and she treasured every single second of it.

"Definitely yes. I'm getting bored sitting at home by myself." Spencer replied. "I think I've read every book we have twice already and even when the team is called away on a case I can still help them from the office. And Michael is okay with it too, we'll do the physical therapy in the afternoon and you can pick me up afterwards."

"Yes, now I can. We really owe Rossi an invitation to dinner. I can't believe he's given us a car..." Annie bit her lip. "I'm still not sure if I'm comfortable with all that money he's spending on us..."

Spencer nodded his head. "I know, I kind of feel the same way. But he insisted. And I don't know if I've ever told you, but he once had a son. He died shortly after birth. Had he lived he would only be a couple of years older than me..."

"Oh Spence that's awful..." Annie whispered. "So you think he's doing all these things for us because he has no family of his own?"

"It's basic profiling, really." Spencer smiled. "I am, after all, the baby of the team."

"To me you're not." Annie laughed. "Don't forget you're turning 30 this year."

She placed another kiss on his lips. "And now we should get up or we'll both be late for work."

* * *

"I can't believe we're already out of Lasagna." Annie laughed as she handed another empty casserolle to Mike, the kitchen help she had hired to help out with the more menial jobs.

"Oh don't act so surprised, you know your Lasagna is the best one in the whole city." Miranda, the waitress, laughed as she placed a couple of dirty dishes next in the sink.

"If you think your flattery will earn you a pay rise in the near future... you might be right." Annie smirked. "So Josh, I'll be outside, I think the main lunch rush is over." she added as she washed her hands.

A smile graced her face as she walked outside to the dining area which was bustling with patrons. She was slowly starting to enjoy work again after Spence and her had had their talk. And especially since they had moved into the new house. She knew that his going back to work was another small sign of things slowly returning back to normal. If there would ever be such a thing as their old normal. But they were adjusting, step for step.

She stepped up to the coffee machine to get a much needed fix of caffeine. She had just taken the first sip when she glanced up at the door and saw two familiar faces. Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly placed her beverage on the counter before rushing up to JJ and Penleope.

"Is Spence alright?" were the first words out of her mouth.

Penelope let out a laugh as she hugged her. "Yes he is, don't worry." she said and only then did Annie notice that she had been holding her breath.

She berated herself for panicking. But she couldn't help it. It had only been five weeks since Spencer had been taken an injured and today was the first day he was outside of his usual sorroundings.

"I'm sorry, I know I worry too much." she smiled as she hugged JJ.

"It's normal. After that bank robbery with Will it took me weeks to stop calling him five times a day to check if he was alright." the blonde replied. "But Spence is in good hands, he's helping Morgan with some dreaded paperwork." she added with a laugh.

Annie chuckled. "Oh then I can imagine how happy Derek is."

"Yeah, my chocolate thunder prefers being out in the field to sitting at his desk all day. That's your genius' speciality." Garcia joined in. "But we thought we'd stop by and see how you're doing. And maybe get some cake on the house." she added with batting eyelashes.

Annie let out a laugh at her friend's antics. "Anything for my favorite girls. I still owe you guys and Emily one for that dinner you set up the night Spence got home from the hospital."

"We were glad to do it. After all, you guys never had a chance to celebrate your one-year anniversary." JJ replied as they sat down on a table in the corner by the window.

"I could care less about anniversaries. I'm just glad he's alive and most important of all, slowly getting back to normal."

"Yeah, we were all surprised at his relatively good mood today." JJ replied. "And it's all thanks to you. I've known him long enough to know he wouldn't be able to get through this without you by his side."

Annie felt a slight blush creep up on her cheeks and when Holly reached their tables with two more cups of coffee and some cake she was glad for the distraction.

"Ah finally!" Penelope exclaimed at the arrival of the sweet treats as she grabbed a fork and shoved a mouthful of chocolate tarte into her mouth. "Aren't you gonna have any?" she asked with a look at Annie.

"No, I'm not really hungry." Annie shook her head.

"Have you had lunch?" JJ asked, the concern in her voice evident.

"No, just breakfast. But I'm fine." the brunette rolled her eyes. "I just haven't been feeling hungry this past week." she shrugged her shoulders.

JJ let her gaze linger on her friend as the other two women started chatting again. Maybe Annie was right, she didn't look unwell. She had gained some of the weight back that she had lost while worrying about Spence and the dark circles under her eyes had vanished. Her skin had gotten back its glow. Maybe the adjustment to their new life carved her appetite. But JJ still hoped this was just temporary and she wouldn't go back to losing weight...

* * *

"Would you mind if we drop by the mall real quick?" Annie asked as she took a turn at the traffic lights. "I totally forgot it's Emily's birthday next week and I wanted to pick up a gift."

Spencer bit his lip as he looked at her. Annie had just picked him up at the Bureau and the original plan had been to go straight home. The day at the office gad actually given him a boost of energy. He had looked into some of the less urgent cases they were consulting on from the distance and had been able to draw up a geographical profile for a case in Texas. For the first time in weeks he felt useful again, like he was back on his way to his old self.

And he knew it was silly but he didn't know if he was ready to face the real world in a wheelchair yet. So far he had only been around people he knew or hospital personnel. But going to a public place was different. He shrugged his shoulders, knowing he would have to do it sooner or later.

"Sure." he replied.

"Good." she smiled. "I also thought her birthday might be a nice occasian to invite the team over for dinner. Now that we're settled in."

An hour later they had bought a gift for Emily and made their way back towards the exit. Annie looked down at Spencer when she saw a frown on his face. She followed his gaze and let out a deep sigh.

"Are you alright honey?" she asked, already knowing the answer. He was not the only one who noticed the stares of some people around them.

"I hate this." he grumbled. "I hate them looking at me. I hate that once again, I'm the odd one out. It's always been that way and there was a time when I thought it couldn't be any worse than it was in high school. But this is worse..." he said with a nod to a group of young men staring at him, one was even pointing a finger.

Annie stopped dead in her tracks and followed his gaze. She turned to face him and crouched down so she was on his level and grabbed his hand.

"I know this is easy to say for me but just ignore them. Yes, you're different than them. But not because you're in a wheelchair. No. You're different because you're better than them. You don't judge people, you are sweet, you are smart, you are kind. And you're brave. Do you really think any one of them could do what you do? You're my Spence and if that makes you the odd one out you sure as hell should be glad about it." she smiled. "Cause I bet those guys over there don't get this on a regular basis..." she added with a wink.

And before he could say anything, Spencer felt her lips crash onto his in the most passionate kiss she had given him since their world came tumbling down on them. Her hands were tangled in his hair, her tongue hot in his mouth as their teeth scraped against each other. He felt a sudden shiver run down his spine and his large hands cupped her cheeks. A smile crept onto his lips as she leaned in, her hands resting on his waist. The world around him started to fade into the background, all stares forgotten, the only thing dominating his mind the Feeling of his Annie pressed against him. When suddenly she stopped.

"What's wrong?" he asked as she pulled away, his brows furrowed when he saw her eyes wide.

"Didn't you feel that?" Annie gasped, her heart beating in her chest. And it wasn't from the kiss. No, she had just felt something that sent her pulse racing.

"Um, yes, you just gave me the best kiss I could ask for?" he chuckled.

"No Spence, not that. It's your legs. Your legs just moved..."

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**Don't forget to leave a review! :D**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hi everyone! **

**Ok, first of all: I AM SO SORRY for the long wait. I know it took me forever to update and I feel so bad I kept you waiting this long! But there's a lot of (good) stuff happening in my life right now and I've been beyond busy. So I hope you forgive me! **

**Then, of course THANK YOU for all the reviews on the last chapter! I am overwhelmed at the response! Also, thank you for the PM's, urging me to update. It means a lot to me that you're all enjoyin this story so much! **

**So, without further delay, new chapter! **

**I love you all!**

**xoxo**

**ReidsGirl**

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**Chapter 25**

Annie was sitting on the edge of her seat as they waited for the doctor to arrive. After she had felt Spencer's leg move, he had been quick to dismiss it as another case of hyperreflexia. But she had disagreed, remembering the doctor had told her those would only occur in the first three to four weeks after the initial injury. So she had urged him to try and move it again and he had been able to slightly shift his right leg.

It had sent her heartbeat racing even more and she had felt tears of joy in her eyes. But she had tried to calm herself, knowing it would do neither her nor Spence any good to get too excited about something that might just turn out to be a one-time occurance. She had still insisted on driving to the hospital right away to get it checked out. Oh how she hoped the doctor would be able to tell them if this was really a good sign or if they had gotten their hopes up too soon.

Spencer looked over at Annie who was literally sitting on her hands as her foot kept tapping on the floor. She was biting her lip and he could tell she was just as nervous as he was, if not more. He had been surprised when his leg had actually moved and he didn't know if he was imagining it but he thought he could actually feel his hands that were resting in his lap.

He tried to stay calm and not get his hopes up too soon. What if it had just been a one-time thing? He didn't want to face the disappointment if it turned out to just a reflex. Lost in his thoughts he suddenly felt Annie's hand on his and looked up to see her give him an encouraging smile.

"Whatever this turns out to be, we'll take it as we go, ok?" she asked, squeezing his hand as she leaned over to plant a small kiss on his lips.

Spencer nodded his head and chuckled. "If Garcia was here she'd be asking if it was really my leg that moved..."

Annie gave a little snort when she saw Spencer's smile turn into a frown. She could guess that what had been intended as a joke had just reminded him of their currently non-existing sex life.

Spencer bit his lip as he cast his eyes down. Damn it, why did he have to go and make that joke. For a minute he had forgotten about the possibility that he might never make love to Annie again. Yes, there were other things they could do besides actual intercourse... But since he had gotten home from the hospital their physical contact had been limited to cuddling and kissing. Sex had been the last thing on is mind as he adjusted to their new life and he was sure she felt the same way.

But now the reality of what his paralysis could mean hit him again with a force he hadn't expected. If this whole leg moving thing would turn out to be a false alarm he really had to face the possibility of never becoming one with her again. And then another thought struck him: They might never be able to have kids of their own. At least not the traditional way. He hadn't thought about it a lot but now he couldn't help but admit that that was something he desperately wanted.

His thoughts were interrupted when the doctor walked into the room. Spencer cast another nervous glance at Annie.

"Spencer. Annie." the doctor nodded as he shook each their hands. "So the nurse tells me you've had some movement in your legs?"

Annie eagerly nodded her head, barely able to conceal her excitement. "He still thinks it could be hyperreflexia and at first I agreed. But then I urged him to deliberately move them and his right leg did!" she explained, her voice rushed.

"Yes, but just a little." Spencer added.

"Well, even a little can be a good sign. I'd like to perform some more tests and exercises with you to determine what we are really dealing with here." the doctor explained. "But remember, even if it really turns out that you are gaining back movement it doesn't mean you'll make a full recovery. It is a start, but everyone is different and we have to see how you progress."

Spencer nodded his head. "Of course."

He felt Annie squeeze his hand again. Seeing the hopeful look in her eyes he sent a silent prayer that he wouldn't disappoint her...

* * *

"Are you serious?" Penelope gasped as she tightened her grip on Derek's hand, making him flinch as her long, sparkly fingernails dug into his flesh.

Derek shot a questioning look at the bubbly blonde from his seat on his couch next to her, mouthing a silent "What?". But Garcia only waved her hand in a dismissing manner before focusing on her phone call again. All Derek could do was wait and try to make anthing out of the snippets of conversation he managed to catch. He was slowly starting to get impatient when Penelope shot him a dazzling smile before finally ending her call.

"Okay sweetie, I'll tell Derek right now and we'll talk to you later!" she said excitedly before she hung up and turned to face Morgan, her mouth spread into a huge grin, her eyes full of a twinkle he hadn't seen in weeks.

"What's going on?" he asked when she didn't say anything.

"You'll never believe it! That was Annie. They just got back from the hospital. Reid moved his legs earlier today and they went to check it out. To see if it was just reflex or actually a sign of recovery." she replied, the smile still not leaving her lips.

"And?" Morgan asked expectantly.

"Well, of course they can't predict to what extent he'll gain back mobility but..." she made a small pause, enjoying to taunt her chocolate thunder for a few seconds.

"Damn woman, this is not the time for one your games." Derek said impatiently but with a little wink that told her he was just teasing her back.

"Well, the doctor said there is definitely some improvement in mobility and they'll focus on increasing that even more in his physical therapy." she exhaled. "In short, there's a chance that in time, with lots of hard work, he'll walk again."

Derek felt a tension he hadn't realized had still weighed on his shoulders suddenly leave him at Garcia's words. He let out a deep breath as his mind processed the possibility of his best friend regaining the ability to walk. He felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth that soon spread into a grin just as wide as Penelope's.

"Baby Girl, I think that's the best news we've had in a long time!" he beamed and pulled her into a bear hug.

Penelope nodded her head against his chest, that warm feeling of happiness still spreading through her. She could even feel a couple of happy tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She knew both Spencer and Annie still had a long and at times hard road ahead of them. But at least now there was hope. Hope that some day everything would be back to normal.

Pulling away from Derek she quickly wiped her cheeks, ridding them of the tears she hadn't been able to hold back after all at the thought of her favorite lovebirds finally receiving some good news.

"And Annie invited us over for dinner tomorrow night, she thought the occasion called for a little celebration." she smiled up at Morgan who nodded his head.

"Oh yes it does baby girl, it really does." he smiled, pulling her into another hug.

* * *

"Are you sure you're not hungry?" Spencer asked as he took another bite of the sandwich in his hands.

Annie and him had returned from the hospital a couple of hours earlier, both feeling kind of exhausted from the events of the day. She had called Garcia when they got home, feeling they should at least call one of the team to let them know that there was indeed hope. And of course Penelope had been quick in spreading the news.

And before they knew it, both their phones had started ringing almost at the same time. The first one to call had been JJ, who had barely been able to hide the excitement in her voice. Will had sent his greetings and Henry had blabbered on about how he had wished for Spencer's legs to get better every night before he went to bed and how he was so happy it seemed to work. The next one had been Hotch, serious as always, asking about all the details the doctor had told them. But even through the phone line the smile in his voice had been evident. Emily and Rossi had called after that and of course Morgan hadn't been able to resist hearing the news first hand.

Now at last they had settled down on the couch, Annie still having to help him out of the wheelchair onto the soft leather cushions. But for the first time in weeks Spencer couldn't help but feel just a tiny bit hopeful that things might be back to normal. He was starting to feel the faintest touch when pressing his hand down on his thigh. And if he tried really hard he could shift his leg, even if it was barely an inch.

"Sunshine?" Spencer asked again when she didn't answer.

Annie snapped up her head. "Hm?"

"I asked if you weren't hungry?" Spencer chuckled.

"No, not really. I'm feeling kind of nauseous." she shook her head. "I think it's from all the excitement." she added quickly, seeing Spencer's concerned frown.

"I'd offer to make you some tea, but..." he broke off.

Annie quickly scooched closer to him when he saw a hint of sadness return to his eyes. "I think I just need to rest."

Spencer smiled as she swung her legs up the couch and slowly lowered herself so that her head was lying in his lap. He carefully set his now empty plate on the table beside him and rested his arm on her upper body while his other hand gently stroked her hair.

"Spence?" she whispered, her voice tired.

"Hm?"

Annie moved her body again, grabbing Spencer's hand that was now resting on her belly while she looked up at him. Her other hand reached up and cupped his cheek.

"I know you told me not to be to excited. But I know you'll walk again, I just know it. If anyone can do this, it's you." she smiled.

"Annie..." he started but she immediately cut him off.

"Shh. No doubts honey, we both have to fully believe in this. It'll be a lot of hard work but it will happen." she declared solemnly.

Spencer held her gaze as her thumb caressed his cheek. There was no doubt in her eyes, she truly believed this. She believed in him. His heart burst with happiness, knowing she would be there every step of the way. And that's when he knew she was right. With her beside him, he'd walk again.

Annie sat up and brought her other hand to his face, placing a light kiss on his lips.

"So do you believe in it?" she asked.

Spencer nodded his head. And when his mouth captures hers in another kiss he knew he would waste no more time. He would not wait any longer to ask her the question that he thought about every time she flashed him a smile. Everytime she helped him in or out of bed. Every time she kissed him like she did now...

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**I hope I made up for the long wait with lots of fluffiness! ;) Review as always. I promise I won't take as long to update this time! :)**


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